


A Most Promising Acolyte

by gamervomitpanda



Series: Fatalism or Indeterminism [1]
Category: Thief (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Gen, The Dark Project
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-03
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-07 07:44:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 26,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1890657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gamervomitpanda/pseuds/gamervomitpanda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Garrett is asked to retrieve an object called The Eye and finds himself messed up not only with the Gods, but in something much larger that spans the ages.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> These are all first drafts with no re-writes done just yet. Sorry it might be a little choppy and hard to get into at first but I'm working on it! :)  
> I have left in the quotes from the game, and the transcripts of the cutscenes because my fanfic sides very closely with the events in the actual game. If you would like to actually watch the scenes I know that they are all over the internet. Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick overview of the opening sequence, and then the introduction with a little extra thrown in. This isn't really important unless you don't know anything about the first game. 
> 
> Feel free to skip ahead to the next chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just fixing a few skewed words and such, it's basically the same chapter it was :p

Garrett stumbled and caught the corner of the large tree. The pain in his eye was excruciating; the blood running down caught on a pale lip. He was sure he was crying, albeit silently, as he pulled himself up the sharp-barked tree. The tree felt impossibly tall as he struggled up into the temporary solitude of a small treehouse. With a gasp he placed himself against the wall and listened to the chaos inside the madhouse. The horrific creatures gurgled and occasionally shrieked causing the cacophonous lullaby that lured him to an uncomfortable sleep. 

Why did this have to happen to him? His sticky fingers and insatiable greed had doomed the entire city and most likely the world. He groggily opened one eye as his head lolled and winced at the dim light and shadow in front of him. He quickly popped his good eye back open and focused on the shadow too close to his face and suddenly felt something crack beneath his fist.

“Someone is angry.” The words wafted over delicately into his splitting head and he turned them slowly until he understood.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ye shall not rob from the house I have built, or commit any theft or unrighteousness, lest ye be struck down and driven into the earth forthwith, and the land of the heathen consume you."  
-The Book of the Stone

"The paths of thief and god are worn as one in the earth."

"Thief wanted for the theft of the gems of Sarnoth."

"Woe be to him that defies the tree, for he shall be cast out into the world through the veils of pain and fire."  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“The essence of balance is detachment. To embrace a cause, to grow fond or spiteful, is to lose one’s balance, after which, no action can be trusted. Our burden is not for the dependent of spirit.”  
\- Mayar, Third Keeper

I was a kid. No parents, no home. Running messages and picking pockets to keep my ribs from meeting my spine. One night I saw a man…folks just passed him by like he wasn’t there. I thought he must have something valuable, so I snuck up on him and made a grab.

”Ugh!”

”That’s not for you.”

”Please, sir, I’m hungry. Don’t tell the Hammers, I promise-”

”What is your name, boy?”

”Garrett.”

”You have talent, lad.”

”Let go of me, old man!”

”To see a Keeper is not an easy thing. Especially one who does not wish to be seen. We have a need for those as gifted as yourself. If you’ve grown tired of how you live, then follow me, and we will show you a different way.”

”Leave me alone!”

"As you wish."

I caught up with him just before he vanished into the crowd. It was the beginning of a very long education…  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garrett didn’t particularly remember his parents. Maybe he just chose to not remember. Years of shoving their fate to the back of his mind had forced him to gloss it over and forget what had happened. Either way they were not around anymore. He did what he had to do to survive without any family. He kept his hands close as he walked down the streets of Stonemarket. He didn’t feel like picking pockets was the wrong thing to do; it kept him fed just enough so he didn’t die and still had the energy to go out and pick some more. He reached out and cut a coin purse off of a man in purple.

When he came across Keeper Artemus that one day he had a battle of choices. Did he continue picking pockets and living uncomfortably in the cold, or did he go with this man and hope his life changed for the better? Garrett of course went with the unknown. He grew up under the instruction of the Keepers for the remainder of his youth. The Keepers were dedicated to preserving balance in the world. They stay in the shadows, unseen, observing how each day passes. Garrett, of course, decided that the skills he acquired were better suited to serve him in another way, a way that the Keepers do not condone, thievery. He left the Keepers when he was a young adult. It was much more profitable to live and steal rather than to keep “balance” and it was much less boring. He had left pick-pocketing to learn the Keeper ways, and left the Keeper ways to become a thief once more. Except this time he had skills he did not possess before. The Keepers were not very happy and most people that leave are then dealt with by the Enforcers; men and women who seek out members of the Keepers that have escaped. Escaped, treated like birds trapped in a cage. They were always told they had a choice, but the Keepers were the right choice. He found it just another lie in the tangled webs they weave. He had seen others cut down for stating they wanted to leave. Fortunately for him, Garrett had not been dealt with yet.

Garrett brushed back his short hair with a hand and finished fixing his bow. He breathed deep as he finished, pleased with the work he had done. The rent was due and Garrett was late, again. He glanced out of the window at the clock tower and watched the time slowly tick away until it was dark enough for him to leave. He pulled a dark cloak on and went to meet Cutty.


	2. Lord Bafford's Manor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett goes out for a scepter, returns with a missing fence and some new questions about the thief he had just met minutes before.
> 
> The thief is introduced near the end for those wanting to cut to the chase and skip the kind of long beginning.

”The most promising acolyte left us, not out of the lesser folly of sentiment, but the greater folly of anger. His heart was clouded, and his balance was lost, but his abilities were unmatched. Even then, we knew to watch him most carefully.”  
\- Keeper Annals  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have a simple job planned for this evening. Break into a guarded mansion, steal another fat nobleman’s priceless trinket, and leave quietly. Lord Bafford is out of town, and rumor has it that the captain of his house guard went with him, as a bodyguard. The time is ripe for a bit of burglary.

The front gate of Lord Bafford’s manor is always guarded, and the main street is far too exposed. But Cutty tells me there’s a better way in…around to the side, more out of the way. One guard, and likely no witnesses to…complicate matters.

The piece Cutty wants is a scepter…silver, jewels, the usual adornments. It should command a high price. Bafford, like most of his kind, probably keeps his treasures on the top floor of the place. Close to his heart…and far from his servants.

No point in waiting. I have Cutty’s old sketches of the place, and everyone who’s going to be asleep inside already is. It’s time to begin…  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garrett stepped out onto the street which upon the manor stood. The air was crisp but not cold. The streets were mainly made of cobblestone, and the houses were mostly stone just like the rest of the City. He pulled his cloak a little closer; hood sufficiently covering his dark hair. He walked swiftly down the street, making twists and turns away from his small apartment, and towards Bafford’s place. As he walked past the front entrance and scouted out around the manor in case he needed a quick escape he could overhear the guards telling a story about the bear fights. They were loud, one was telling the story and the others were fighting over it. He shrugged at their conversation. Garrett had never been one for fighting. The walls were very tall; no way out if he got stuck up at the top of the manor. The sewers were scattered throughout the main street, bringing the stench along. If he needed a place to hide, that would be his go to place. The map spoke of a thieves stash nearby. He saw some water arrows in the crook of some stonework and snagged those. Not sure if they were there for him or someone else but hey, finders keepers. 

He quickly found a guard patrolling around the way he needed to go. There was just one of him so he snuck behind the guard and hit him swiftly over the head, just enough to knock him out. Garrett placed him on someone’s doorstep like a present. Hopefully they wouldn’t open the door until morning. Then he heard some singing. Peeking around the corner he saw another guard singing drunkenly. Just the one guard like Cutty had mentioned. He frowned. He couldn’t very well just walk up in front of him; drunk or not he’d see Garrett. After glancing at the map once more he jumped down into the sewers. It made him crinkle his nose at the smell of decay. Soon he followed his way around to a gate. Inside a single door there was a lever. Perfect. The gate was open and his pockets were richer due to the detour. Someone had dropped a necklace in the sewer. Maybe she and her man had been fighting and the necklace was thrown. Doesn’t matter now, all that mattered was the piece was in his pocket. He came up out of the sewer behind the singing guard nicked the key. Garrett usually liked to make sure his exits were clear of guards, in case he needed to escape quickly but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be leaving this way.

The key he gained opened the door the guard was ever so expertly guarding; he closed it quietly snickering. His heart leapt into his throat when he swung his legs over the side of the well. It was a much further drop than he had expected. There was water at the bottom though. Hopefully it would wash the sewer smell from the bottom of his clothes. He pushed off and hit the water with a huge splash. It was cold and his thick clothing made it that much harder to move. Shoving the shivers to the back of his mind he dove down into a tunnel that he spied at the bottom of the stream of water. Spiders were everywhere and they most definitely were not the best creatures to have around. It was a nice place to hide a chest. No one would think to look in a well and then in the tunnel. 

“Unless you are me of course.” He smugly thought to himself. He found a few trinkets and dove back into the cold, through the tunnel again, and made his way back out of the water and into the door of the basement.

”Inside at last.” He said to himself quietly while squeezing the water out of his clothes and grabbing a torch off the wall to dry himself. The last thing Garrett needed would be to leave wet footprints and the sound of a soppy person dripping in his wake. Thankfully he couldn’t smell sewer anymore.

So far so good. He wanted nothing more than a nice clean steal. Of course once the guards all woke up they would know someone had come along and stolen everything right from under their noses. Somehow he liked it that way. They always would know someone was there but they won’t have been able to stop him. He let out a breath and ran his gloved fingers through his still wet hair. Just a little further to go until he made it up the stairs.

The stone floors were covered by multi-colored carpets; so easy to hide the sound of his footsteps. Long crests covered the walls, and the windows in the hallways frequently opened to other rooms or the outside. He found the stairs, made his way up, and then stole his way past a sleeping man and into the kitchen. He made his way around the counter as the cook was occupied. As he did that he stashed a good amount of food in his pouches and pockets. Garrett was frequently hungry and it’s no good if someone can hear a stomach growl while he was on a job. He stole a few bites of bread, making sure not to eat anything that would draw attention to his breath. He also found a funny note to the cook about how if the kitchen didn’t start to get quality ingredients for meals for Bafford he would be fired. So all the ingredients were brand new and of finest quality making him chew slowly, savoring the texture of fresh bread. After he was sufficiently full, but not so much he was slowed, Garrett moved on from the kitchen doorway.

After smacking a few more guards and picking up a few trinkets here and there he had finally almost cleared out the manor. It gave him such a sense of accomplishment when he was able to take near everything of value. The keepers would not be happy if they knew about his near perfect ability to take anything of value, but of course they probably already knew. He also managed to find another note about Bafford being out tonight telling the guards not to shirk their duties. He guessed they didn’t technically shirk them and felt a laugh rise up in his throat but quickly pushed it down. It was a good thing he did that too because his heart about failed when he began up some stairs to see a guard coming down said stairs right at him! He ducked out and smacked him good. He did a little deep breathing before continuing. He never killed anyone, he doesn’t measure the worth of a human life in gold. If they did happen to see him he’d rather lose them and knock them later instead of killing them, or even giving up the job altogether. It was the only reason he was slightly well known and called the sneak thief and not a murderer. He knew his profession didn’t really scream, “I’m a good guy”, because he was not. Just a thief that didn’t much like killing. It’s messy work and people seem to guard their homes better when they are worried about being murdered. Go figure. He took a moment to stretch his arms and legs out before continuing in a crouch down the hall.

”I wonder if he reads or if it’s just for show.” He whispered smiling to himself when he entered the library. He snagged some treasure, and read a scroll that had to be written by a Pagan. The scroll said something about the writer not being able to find someone named Viktoria. After exiting he looked around a little more after taking care of two guard captains, he felt he should be getting very close. He jumped at a slight sound behind him and turned quickly. There wasn’t anything there. Garrett stilled his breathing. He was sure he had heard something.

”Dinner is waiting, I’m starving. Haven’t eaten since breakfast.” A guard grumbled nearby. He snuffed out the touches with some water arrows and clubbed him. The loot had slowly been going downhill even though he was sure that there should have been more, but he found where he wanted to be.

”It’s a throne room, how pretentious can we get?” He snickered as he entered it. There sure as hell was a big throne and on the mantle near it was the scepter. His eyes followed the scepter closely, the gold glinting nearly made him shiver. He needed it. He was addicted to the game, the steal. Fingers twitched as he nearly salivated looking at the gorgeous thing. Quickly, he was pulled from his stupor and watched from his place behind the curtain as a woman ran her fingers across the scepter, as if studying its every jewel. 

He was studying her. He couldn’t tell much. Her fingers were slender and covered in black gloves with just the very tips of her fingers showing. He could barely see the side of her face; the bone structure was what alerted him that she was female. She wore a cloak akin to his own and made Garrett wonder if she was a civilian, guard, or a rival thief. His question was answered as she stole the scepter from its place. Mind racing, he had to act quickly to earn his rent.

He immediately jumped from his place behind the curtain and went to bat the woman on the head when she turned and jumped away from him and looked directly at his face. He paused in his steps. She was fast. Her light rose lips were slightly parted in surprise underneath a sharp nose. Her eyes bore into him as he had a million questions running through his mind. Her eyes were white and clouded over underneath dark lashes. She was blind. She held herself low to the ground. As he tried to sneak past her to the left her eyes followed. She could see him?

“Here for this?” She raised the scepter and spoke in a whisper. “I expected as much when I felt you watching me.”

“It’s like you know me.” He shrugged sarcastically. 

“Girl’s gotta eat.”

“So do boys. Who sent you?” Cutty would never send someone else after him.

“Why does it matter? I got here first. I obviously deserve it more.” She backed away slowly making the slightest clicking sound. That was what he had heard earlier! 

“It matters because I’m going to take it from you and you’ll have to explain how you lost the scepter.” His voice rose to a hoarse whisper.

“No need for violence. I’m sure we can work something out.” She raised it up in the air and waved it. Garrett frowned. He did not want to barter, instead he lunged. She darted away from the sneak thief and down the corridor. He followed closely but she was quick. He nearly had lost her and was doing a slight cursing episode when he saw her through a window. She pulled a lever to open a door to outside. Those few seconds of the door opening were his salvation. He grabbed her from behind and pushed her through the door.

“It’s only fair that I take that now.” His hands searched through her pack and fumbled with the scepter.

”Here we go.” He snagged it out of its place. Time to get the hell out of here and off the streets. He kept her held down for an extra minute as he planned his escape. He could always hit her and let her take the blame for the theft. The air was chilly and he hadn’t completely dried yet so he shivered. 

“Come on, just let me go. Don’t let the guards get me.” A slight quiver was in her voice, but she kept the snarky attitude. Garrett felt weird. Was he having a crisis right now? 

“If I let you go, how am I supposed to know you won’t catch up to me and take it right back?”

“Isn’t that the fun of it? The rush that someone might catch you?” Her face was smashed against the ground but he could still see the slight smile she cracked. He agreed silently. The thrill of the chase, the win. He stood and jumped down the alley way before she had time to even pull up to her knees. He grabbed a beam and pulled onto the rooftops. Triumphantly, he made for Cutty.

Garrett came across Cutty’s place to find him missing. Someone had either taken his fence or he had made a run for the hills for reasons unknown. He leaned back in the small dark corner of the shop and rubbed his face. 

“He owes me for the scepter. I’ve got to find the stupid taffer.”


	3. Break From Cragscleft Prison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett isn't happy about having to retrieve Cutty from a haunted prison...
> 
> My version of Garrett is still fairly young and he's a little more than freaked out about the zombies. Wouldn't you be?!

“Before death came, the liars were made to feast upon the hands of the thieves, and the thieves were made to ingest the tongues of their liar brothers, and we praised the Master Builder for his judgments.”  
\- The Hammer Book of Tenets  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
I went to Cutty’s place to deliver the scepter, but Cutty wasn’t there. He’d been arrested by the Hammerites. Apparently they didn’t approve of his occupation, and I doubt they approve of mine. So hopefully they’ll never catch sight of me when I break him out of their prison. Which is what I’m going to do.

They’re holding Cutty in a mining complex carved out of a quarry. The quarry’s flooded, but the Hammers still work the top level mines, and have converted part of the complex into a penitentiary for those who…”violate” their tenets. 

An associate of mine was confined there, and has provided me with a map. It would be difficult to get in by way of the main gate, but there is another option. The mines break the surface of a hill south of the quarry. I’ll drop into the mines and head for the prison, which will be found somewhere uphill and to the north. The Hammers don’t venture into these lower mine levels because they’re reputed to be haunted.

I’d rather not have to do this job, but Cutty’s a reliable fence, and I don’t appreciate the Hammerites abducting him. And he owes me money for the Bafford job…

I picked up a couple of tips while trying to find out how to best get Cutty; word on the street is that the Hammers are eager to take back the top level of the haunted mines, because there’s a specially-blessed holy water font there, and according to Dikket, a “heretic” who was recently let out of Cragscleft, Cutty’s being held in cell block four. I guess it’s time to sell some of his things, pick up some extra water arrows, and head to the mines.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garrett finally got home after acquiring the tips and napped quickly. There was no way he was going to save Cutty if he was dead tired and making a bunch of noise. A couple hours quenched his thirst for rest. He re-laced his boots and thought over the last job. Who in their right mind would send that woman for the same loot on the same night? She had almost bested him, and it made him uncomfortable, but excited. Those eyes though, that was something incredibly different. How had she managed to see him?

When he arrived outside the prison, it was daylight. It wasn’t very cold outside; a small wind blew and the sky was clear. The sun warmed the water slightly. He braced himself and waded into the water before having to full on swim. A chill went through his bones but it wasn’t as terrible as the well. Once he was under the water he found a diamond! Maybe this wasn’t going to be tedious after all.

It was dark and there was nowhere to come up to breathe as he followed the tunnel to the caves. He finally emerged the water gasping and soaked. Once he regained his breath a horrible stench flooded his nostrils. There were flies feasting on a corpse under a light. It was a disgusting sight, and he was not usually squeamish.

Straying away from the corpse worked for a bit, but he soon stumbled across another one. The noises the caves were making had him on edge. He swore he could hear moaning and groaning off all kinds. Pulling his cloak closer around him seemed to help the shivering.

Passing the corpse he found a gold nugget and a silver nugget. Caves and mines are good for something. Another corpse had him turning away. There was another one in the next room too! This place was just full of dead people. He didn’t like it at all.

He approached the room with the corpse and the crack in the wall. Hugging the wall, touching his fingertips to the broken stones, he made his way to the crack when, he swore, the corpse began to moan and scream! He jumped into the wall crack as it stood up and began to look around as Garrett scurried off. This place is absolutely haunted. That was terrifying. Garrett sat quietly for a moment to catch his breath. A corpse just stood up from the ground; of course he needed a breather. He had heard stories of the dead walking but had never thought it was possible.

He made his way through a tight tunnel and was careful not to venture close to any of the corpses on the ground. The rocks touching him were cold and perspiring much like the thief. He finally pulled up onto a bridge. Crap, the bridge was out. He mustered his confidence and jumped across a few slippery rock outcroppings and finally made his way to the other side and up into the upper level of the mines. So far, he was not happy with the way this was going. Cutty most definitely owed him.

The cave seemed to rock as his heart was pumping so loud that he thought someone would hear. The walking corpses sounds made him shiver again. He quickly decided to just poke his head out from behind the wall and… dammit. It saw him. It began to move as quickly as its decaying legs could carry it, twitching and stumbling, and Garrett began to run as fast as his healthy yet trembling legs could carry him. He ran right past the stupid corpse and into a rundown Hammer church. Shit. He had backed himself into a corner. He kept his eyes on the zombie as it shuffled towards him; he was slowly backing further and further into the corner. It was getting so close that Garrett could see the maggots eating away at its eyes, the flies surrounding its head, and the greenish flesh over its belly. He swallowed hard. This is how he was going to go, trying to get Cutty out of a stupid Hammerite prison, trapped in abandoned mines full of living dead.


	4. Break From Cragscleft Prison 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett manages to live another day with some help, and finds Cutty but not in the condition he wanted him in.

An arrow flew out of nowhere and the flesh over its throat flapped in the air and water spilling from its neck, then dead thing exploded, decaying flesh flying across the church and plastering Garrett. It was the woman again. Garrett half stammered but she spoke first.

“Holy water my good thief.” He saw that her eyes were just staring straight ahead, she couldn’t actively see him! She tilted her head and frowned. “Why are you in the prison mines?”

“I could ask you the same.”

“I just saved your taffing life so I think you should be the first to answer.” She put her bow on her back and began to click quietly, so quiet Garrett could barely hear, as she moved forward to a font in the church. Garrett debated his next move. Sure she saved him but why should he tell her anything? He sucked it up and decided to say, “My fence is stuck here so I’ve come to rescue him.”

“Mine as well.” She narrowed her eyes, although not directly at Garrett. “Although mine isn’t in for being a fence. Arson. Idiot.” She huffed and searched the font with her hands and began to fill vials. The way she filled them nearly made him unable to look away, delicate and surely practiced. Garrett went to leave the church rather than have a forced conversation. 

“Careful thief. There are more of the dead where this one came from.”

“Dammit, Cutty really owes me one.”

He quickly melded into the shadows and managed to steal past the other dead and up past some signs for the factory. Above the factory was the prison. Just where he wanted to be. He moved toward a metal door and heard footsteps. He took a deep breath, hoping that it was a Hammerite. Lo and behold it was and he never thought he’s be happy to see one. Garrett sat down and rested while he waited for the elevator and pulled an apple from his pocket and chowed it down. He hadn’t noticed in his terror that he was starving. The smell of the corpses had not helped and he was exhausted as well. Soon he would have Cutty out and get his payment and crawl into his bed. He began to daydream about the straw mattress. 

Once off the elevator and up some cobblestone stairs, he went through doorway to find himself inside a factory. It was incredibly loud but there were many Hammerites patrolling and working on making more hammers. The loud rhythmic banging and bright flashes of light were making him slightly dizzy. He wiped the sweat that was piling on his brow. The molten metal made the whole room hot. A moss arrow and a well-timed jump had him landing quietly and ducking into the prison.

Garrett paused when he heard some Hammerites talking. They were talking about Cutty, how they thought he would never quiet from all the coughing but now he grows silent. But Cutty had only been in the prison for a few hours, hadn’t he? Garrett had the thought that he possibly slept away an entire 26 hours instead of just the two he thought he had slept. The clocks were usually trustworthy but they didn’t tell him the day. He hadn’t been that tired had he? Shit. No matter what he had to get him out of here as soon as possible.

Luckily for him there were two huge brass signs with “Cell Block 3 and 4 ” He knew from the guards and the tip that Cutty was in cell block four. Stopping in his tracks, he skipped around a rotating sensor. He guessed he shouldn’t have been too surprised. The Hammers always have the newest technology. In the cells, people were coughing, laughing, and babbling incoherently. The cacophony covered the soft sound of his footsteps across the hard stone. The noise was quite awful. He took care of the guard in the control room and read cell block four’s roster.

There were only five people in cell block four, a ladytaker, a vandal, a heretic, Cutty, and a whorekeep. The whorekeep was noted dead of flux. He remembered about Cutty’s coughing. He surprised himself with a silent prayer, hoping that he didn’t have flux as he pulled a cloth over his face. With Cutty’s cell switch flipped, he made his way from the control room; back to the cells. Cutty looked like shit. His cell stunk worse than the corpses, skin was pale, and lips cracked. The fence let out a huge barrage of sticky coughs and Garrett made sure to check his face cover and back away a little.

”Alright old man. Let’s get you outta here and get me my money.”

”Fraid you’re going to be disappointed.”

”Good thing you’re dying Cutty or I’d have to kill you for stiffing me, again.” Garrett spoke sarcastically. He definitely had flux.

”Snap snap poppy, but I owe ya so… Felix went after the Horn of Quintus down the Bonehoard. Left me his notes. The hammers got em and put them in their evidence box; loot collection more like. Upstairs… Officer’s quarters. Once you’re up there; hidden passage. If damp hadn’t rotted my lungs…” 

Each breath for him was a rasping struggle. He stood in his cell listening to him heave and die little by little until he collapsed on the ground dead. There was nothing Garrett could do. He was no doctor. He stepped over to the old man and closed his lids. He had to admit that his stomach sank just a little but he quickly picked himself up and exited the cell. No use wallowing. He wouldn’t get his money that way. At least Cutty held on until Garrett had arrived. Garrett figured he’d take care of a little extra business and before getting the notes he would find Basso and Issyt if they were still here. Basso’s sister might like it if Garrett brought him home and reward him with a little something and Issyt has his lucky hand of glory.


	5. Break From Cragscleft Prison 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Cutty dead, Garrett takes Basso home and learns his new job might get a little messy, but maybe he's starting to like it that way. Or not, it's hard to split the loot.
> 
> Also he pees in the Hammer's stew. Take that!

There was no one around until he got to the next cell block. There was another record of the people in cells and Garrett snorted a laugh when he read Dikket’s name and that he had been released upon recantation and informing. Dikket sure informed Garrett with his tip about Cutty. He saw Basso’s name on the list for firelighting. Taffing arsonist. What was it this time? Another cheating girlfriend? The cell unlocked and he jumped down. A prisoner had seen Garrett and he hadn’t shut up since. Everyone else seemed to be just ignoring his cries of, “Help, he has a bow! Help me!” Garrett snickered. As if he would waste his skills on someone not even worth listening to by the guards.

”Well there’s Basso. If he weren’t unconscious it’d be simpler but now I’ll have to carry him out.” He sighed and put his hand over his face. Why does everything have to be so difficult all the time? At least he wasn’t dead. He went to heave him up over his shoulders but a voice called his attention away. The woman came out from the corner of Basso’s cell.

“What do you want with my fence?” 

“Your fence? You mean my friend?” Garrett snarled at her as quiet as he could muster. Basso knew better than to be fencing and arson.

“Well it doesn’t matter now. He was arguing with a Hammer and they knocked him out. I would find it quite difficult to get him out on my own. You look like you had this covered anyway so... good luck thief.” The strange woman melted past him and disappeared into the shadows of the prison. Garrett sighed angrily and headed toward cell block one with Basso on his back. He left Basso near the entrance of cell block one in the shadows to go and get his hand of glory from Issyt.

After reviewing the books he found that Issyt had died “’neath righteous punishment”. He was pretty unhappy until he jumped down and saw Issyt still held his hand of glory. Garrett kicked his bones aside as he left. He didn’t feel bad for the beggar.

Who did that woman think she was? Sure he was going to get Basso anyway but just leaving Basso to him without so much as a thank you. She must have collected enough loot to feel content to leave. Garrett stumbled into what looked like a small church with lots of loot.

”Huh, this must be how they spend all those ties.”

”Wonder if I have time to stop for a snack.” He questioned aloud as he entered the kitchen. Of course he chowed down and filled his pockets. He was tired, hungry, and in great need of a restroom but instead he relieved himself in the Hammer cooking pot. Take that you Hammers. He smiled and tucked back away.

He hopped up the stairs and rounded a corner into an office. There was a safe but where was the key? Another room where a guard was patrolling let Garrett see that he had a key hanging from his belt. They never learn do they? He snagged the silver key and went back to the office with the evidence box. Garrett was not happy with the loot inside, it had been raided and he didn’t see Felix’s notes. He resisted the urge to slam his fists down onto the steel. After searching the room he found that Nammon seemed to have stolen the tips. Crap. Now he had to find another person. With him being a thief Garrett would just have to look where he would hide if he didn’t know the area. His pockets were not as full as he would have liked due to another thief taking the spoils, but he went back for Basso.

Beneath the first sensor there was a small opening, just large enough for a crouching man. He was going to start his search there. He set Basso down right in front of the opening and made his way down a flight of stone stairs into some gross looking water. As he waded across he couldn’t feel his feet, and then he reached a small stone island. There was the dead thief Nammon, clear spots in the grime where coins used to sit, some water and moss arrows, and the notes.

”Cutty won’t be needing this anymore.” He grabbed them greedily for he needed to get some more money for rent. With Basso back on his shoulders, he headed for escape.

The pair, but mostly Garrett, jumped into a river behind the guard station near the sensor. It was cold and he was about ready to pass out from exhaustion but he pushed on. He made sure Basso’s head was above the water through all the small falls they went off of. Dropping Basso, perhaps a little too hard, Garrett hit the down button on the nearby lift. He had but a minute to relax. Basso was heavier and taller than Garrett so he had to actively avoid hitting his big shaved head on the slimy rocks above them. They made their way down two ladders until, finally, Garrett saw daylight. He stumbled onto an outcropping over the first patch of water he swam through to enter the mines and jumped off then waded out of the water with Basso on his shoulders.

Soon he was able to rouse Basso. The big man shook his head around a little before starting the complaints.

“Those damn Hammer’s think they can do whatever they want…” He spied Garrett. “By the Gods! Garrett, I’m outside! Did you get me out of that awful place?” The box-man rubbed his head.

“No you’ve actually died in there and this is your version of paradise. Of course I got you out you taff. Not with any help from your little thief.” Garrett was cross.

“My-“ He watched as Basso turned red. “I needed the money and so did she, it wasn’t anything big. A few trinkets, a scepter, some jewels…”

“This scepter?” Garrett held it just out of reach.

“Damn Garrett you even thieve things that are other peoples jobs. Best thief in the City you are.”

“I want payment for this and then no more fencing. It’s too dangerous. Your sister doesn’t need you in prison any more than you have been and I don’t want to go back.” He tucked the scepter away again and helped Basso to his feet. The more Basso was home, the more Garrett got to see of his sister. That was good for any man’s morale. The two men started the walk back to the inner city and Basso explained how he had gotten angry and started a fire at the nearby pub, and also how he had come across the other thief.

“She actually approached me off of the street. Said she needed a fence and had seen you come around to talk to me so she figured I was trustworthy.”

“Just don’t take my jobs again Basso. I’ve had enough of her nonsense.” He tried to not think of how she obviously had been watching him as he unfolded the tips about the Horn of Quintus and let out a gasp.

“See you there.” Was written at the very bottom of the page. He was going to have to beat the woman to the horn.


	6. Down in the Bonehoard 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett decides to go after the Horn, but luck is on his side and he manages to get something extra.
> 
> But only after he finds more undead. What keeps them all alive??

"…And the manfools piled rocks on rocks and raised a treesie roof, hammers saws tear the skin of goodsie wood… …and laughs at the Woodsie Lord. …And when learns the Lord of this, He sends His beastesses to the manfools… …who attacks and hammers saws their useless fleshes, and build him a house of they rotting skins."  
—Unattributed Trickster song  
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I was pissed at Cutty for a good while after the… prison debacle. But hey, you can’t blame him for what the Hammers did to him. So I decided to go after that horn Felix talked about. Not like I had a while lot of choice, really… the rent is due… and my landlord is even tougher than the Hammers.

The map’s pretty specific about where the entrance is. Too bad it’s not as clear about where the HORN is. Felix did some scrounging before he left, and his notes say the horn is in the tomb of some nobles… the Quintus family. Guess I’ll just have to explore.

Felix, always helpful, also said that the catacombs are supposed to be haunted. Think I’ll go make some inquiries about where a “heretic” like me can get some holy water. Always go prepared…  
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Garrett stumbled into his loft and collapsed onto his bed. Sweet rest. He slept past lunch and almost dinner that day. He couldn’t believe he had been at Lord Bafford’s one night, took a short nap, was in the mines below the prison that morning, and made it out of the mines that dusk. When he awoke he ate some cheese on bread, and an apple. He’d need his strength to get into the Bonehoard.

Garrett was very unhappy to be going somewhere else said to be haunted. After the last haunting he had no intentions of going anywhere near corpses again. Unfortunately this was his only lead and if he didn’t get some more gold he wouldn’t make rent this month. His hands shivered as he changed into some clean garments, gloves, and cloak. He jumped out his loft window and went to his backup fence and stocked up on holy water. The fact that the woman had left a note and wanted to beat him to the loot angered him. Who did she think she was? He couldn’t help but feel a pang of excitement. This was going to be hard, but it would feel so good once he got the loot out from someone else.

The entrance was found fairly easily and there was even an open tomb with a jewel encrusted goblet inside. So far so good. In the entrance to the bonehoard there was a smelly skinless corpse. He made sure to pass far enough from it to not wake it, if it were one of the living dead.

Felix’s ropes were still in place and he fell a little further than he liked onto some boards.

"It’s a long way down."

Garrett has never been afraid of heights but the thought of undead hanging around really made his heart pound. Everything else he was fine with. Spiders are no big deal and he can knock a human out in seconds but the undead don’t really die until you hit them with some holy water, and he has a short supply. He didn’t see any sign of the woman or Felix at this point, which was good and bad. Felix should have at least been near.

Suddenly there was a rumbling and what sounded like a cave in deeper in the tombs. It could have been anything from an actual settling of the caverns to a trap that one of the thieves had been caught in. Due to the thought of traps, he took his time and looked around where he was at. The stone was very smooth and there were many carvings in the walls. Some parts had caved in and coffins had been broken.

He had only seen the one stinking corpse so far and was feeling pretty good. A diamond made for a good find and he avoided some arrow traps. They were pretty easy to spot. He saw a small pool and took the chance to swim down, out, and ended up going down a ladder into some tunnels. Apparently two sister gems called the Mystic’s Soul and the Mystic’s Heart were also down here. He was hoping to run into them at some point before the horn.

There were burricks snorting in the tunnel up ahead so he made a mad dash for the tunnel below the first one. He gasped for breath at the end hoping that they didn’t notice him. They were famed for being quite nasty opponents. Regrettably he heard a low cry of the beast so he turned and ran some more. A stitch caught in his side and then he ran right near a giant hole in the floor. He stood on the edge for a moment trying to keep his balance but gave up and dove on in. It was a long way down and his stomach was in his throat for a few seconds before he hit the water. He pulled himself out onto a stone floor, which was a relief because that meant he was still in the tombs. He stepped around some pressure plates and pulled a coin purse, some food, and a note from a dead thief. 

I’ve decided to take the plunge. If my records are correct, there should be a stash of fire crystals in the lowest oubliette, which was sealed for centuries but has been since opened up by the burricks. I’ll need the crystals for the torches, if I’m going to get the Mystic’s Soul.

Garrett waded back into the water and made his way to an adjacent tunnel after telling the dead one thank you. A good tip was never a bad find. It was a fairly steep trek back to the top and he jumped down into a tunnel with some more burricks. The burrows were starting to make him dizzy.

The tunnels were a weird bright rock with an orange tint, but where the burricks were was completely gray just like the city stone. Garrett wondered what the orange passageways were made of. Luminescent mushrooms grew here and there in the rock. He didn’t want to take the chance of getting more lost than he already was so he went back out to the burricks and found a higher tunnel with a rope leading up. It seemed like his best bet. He couldn’t go back the way he fell and someone else had already come this way.

He climbed up the rope into another orange tunnel, praying that the rope wasn’t old and that it wouldn’t break, and then made his way into a dark red tunnel. As he made his way to get out of the tunnel he saw the actual tombs again; tall walls and high ceilings.

”Heh, tombs with piped in music. How classy.” He was sure it was the Horn of Quintus he was hearing, which meant that he was getting closer and closer. The low blowing of the horn made him feel oddly complacent. Inopportunely he was also hearing walking corpses so his content attitude was short lived. His insides twisted and he tried to sneak out but there were about 10 walking corpses so in his fright spent almost all of his holy water and arrows taking them out in a terrified frenzy. After they were taken care of he had found a few golden bones. He was not sure what they were for but started to gather them anyway. They belonged together, not spread all over the place.

A ladder lead to a room with raised coffins. No walking corpses made sound here. A giant open coffin caught his eye in the bottom of the next room so he climbed down and deposited the golden bones. Stealing from the dead is one thing, but he didn’t steal the actual dead. To his surprise the room lit up and some arrows and medical supplies appeared. He was a little scared that it was a trap but very relieved to have more water arrows.

Making his way back up and across, there was what looked like a man on fire that began to moan and run at him so he let some water arrows fly until the fire Hammerite ran off. He decided that since there was a man on fire, he should try to light these torches on fire. Maybe that was what the note before was talking about. A mechanism opened on the floor but so did five doors with walking dead behind them. Garrett sighed and let his muscles tense before he jumped into the well that the lock had been covering.

He surfaced and gasped. The whole “diving in water in his winter clothes” thing was getting old. Not only was he getting frustrated because that he hadn’t found anything he was looking for, but he was also soaking wet. Shaking off his cloak he used the time to glance around to a room just littered with traps. His heart sang. Obviously he avoided the stairs and climbed upon the banister instead. Atop the pedestal was the Mystic’s Soul. The small of stagnant water had stopped bothering him as he stared. It was a shiny clear gem in an elongated oval shape that the lights bounced off of brilliantly. He went to lift it excitedly and stopped. It looked like the pedestal was trapped. He snatched up a skull in front of the pedestal and set it next to the gem and then lifted the gem. Thankfully nothing happened. He snickered and pocketed it. Two more things to go.


	7. Down in the Bonehoard 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett's luck runs out, but he does get a choice between loot and the other thief's death.  
> We all know Garrett likes him some loot.

After a few useless minutes he managed to sneak into a room filled with skinny wooden beams heading down to the ground. He swallowed and mustered the courage to start dropping down a beam at a time. One wrong step and he would be done for. After waving his arms frantically at the first drop, the falls slowly got easier.

On the ground there was an engraved stone before the next room. It said, “He upon whom the gaze of the Guardians falls, he shall be destroyed.” It freaked him out to be honest, but not as much as all the zombies he had come across. He gingerly stepped into a room filled with statues and pillars.

Watching his step closely, he kept himself out of the statues sight. There was a spit second when his cloak passed the eyes of a statue and he had to put out a very large fire that exploded across it. So much for that. Time to make a new one. He made it the rest of the way, using the pillars to keep himself hidden and holding his cloak tightly to his body. A sigh of relief gave way to a grin at the sight of the chest up ahead. It had to be the Mystic’s Heart. 

The second he stepped onto the tile in the small room what looked like a Hammerite ghost appeared. He steeled his nerves, ran past it, opened the chest and grabbed what he thought was the jewel, and backed himself into a white corner and suddenly became dizzy. He looked around a realized he was back above the thin walkways. Somehow he had been teleported! All of this magical mumbo jumbo was annoying, but useful.

He looked down at his fist and his heart sank. It was a rock. Just a stupid rock. The woman must have gotten there first. He quickly became furious, bolting across the tombs and jumping over a long chasm, landing on his knees. Standing, he bit his lip and made himself listen. The horn was letting what sounded like a lullaby stream through the caverns he had jumped across and into. It was making him sleepy.

He told himself he couldn’t sleep here. He would die. When he began to make his way through the caves and saw that the burricks were peaceful and swaying he was pleased and loosened his grip on the bow he kept on his back. 

The horn was becoming louder and louder as he walked. He began to climb some ladders in a very tall room filled with walkways and pillars. The beautiful song of the horn echoed throughout the room and Garrett wanted to just lie down and sleep.

”Good thing I’m not afraid of heights.” He spoke keeping himself awake. His fingers slid over the cold metal ladder and he skinned his knuckle once on the brick. It was a long way up. When he finally reached the top there was a cutout in the wall and atop the pedestal was the horn, and the woman.

”The Horn of Quintus I presume.”

“You always seem to get here at the wrong time thief.” She pulled her hand back from the horn and pulled a sword from her back, across from her bow. Her eyes were darting wildly.

“Well it was my job. You just decided to steal it.” He took a step closer and the sword aimed right near him.

“I am doing what any good thief would be doing. Stealing. If I didn’t do that, then what would I be?” She shifted her weight with a slight limp, clearly injured. He smiled. This was going to be easy. He took another step closer. 

“You may think I don’t know where you are but I do!” Her voice seemed to shake. Garrett took his chance and ducked under her sword and his fist closed across the horn along with her own. They pulled back and forth until the sword came down onto his forearm. It was only a slight pain, but it was enough to stall him momentarily and lash out, pushing her back. Her hand slipped and Garrett watched as she tried to right herself, but ended up slipping back and then flipping around like a cat onto ledges against the circular walls. The music had stopped. The burricks were not going to be docile anymore. He disappeared, sliding down the ladder as the woman was still trying to jump down the ledges, which was considerably more dangerous than the ladder.

The second his feet hit the ground he was running. He heard her hit a few seconds after him. The burricks were inconsolable. They were crying out and the second they caught wind of the thieves they turned and began to chase the pair that silenced their song. Garrett could feel his breath catch in his chest as he saw the jump across the chasm coming up. Miss and he would be one dead thief. This jump was at a slight incline and he sucked in a breath as he jumped. The horn weighed him down more than he expected along with his damp clothes and he hit the edge of the stone, his gloves slipping at the sharp rocks. He heard something hit the stone near him, but couldn’t see through the salt in his eyes. His muscles were screaming and bile rose in his throat as he managed to lift a knee onto the edge of the stonework, pausing just long enough to throw up his dinner over the edge. He had run a long way. Being a thief he was not used to being seen and having to run at full speed. Jobs like this were atypical. He glanced and saw the woman struggling to get onto the stone. She had been injured but was putting up a good fight. He passed under a torch to leave and her small voice choked out to him.

“Hey, I’ve got a little something for you!” Her eyes were filled with tears from the obvious pain she was in. Her mouth was covered with a scarf but her scrambling hands told him she wouldn’t be able to hold much longer.


	8. Down in the Bonehoard 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett is controlled by his greed, and he actually has a heart sometimes.

Garrett snarled, eyes narrowed, perfectly fine with letting her fall to the tile below. Her eyes followed as he went to walk down the hall. She let out a small cough, enough to gather his attention. His eyes widened as she took a hand from the stone to grip and hold out the Mystic’s Heart over the chasm. “If I fall this goes with me. I bet you want it.” Her panting was slightly pathetic, but she had catered to Garrett’s greed. He reached out on his belly in an attempt to take it from her dirty hand.

“I will let go. I won’t let you take my loot and leave me to die.” She spoke as his hand nearly reached the stone. Fingers were steadily slipping as he made his choice and grabbed her clammy arm and attempted to lift her over the edge. Once she had a knee up she was close enough for him to pluck the dark stone from her fingers and let her pull herself up. He backed away to study it as she heaved herself over the edge and onto all fours.

“Time to get the hell out of here.” He smiled. He was the victor. He came away with the loot.

“I know a way out other than Felix’s ropes.” Her breathing was still labored but Garrett fancied a way out where he would not have to travel all the way back through areas he still didn’t know. As he nodded the woman stood. To his surprise she darted ahead, sticking to the shadows and made small clicking noises. She held her hands out just slightly in front of her. Her limping was incredibly apparent and more than a few drops of blood hit the ground as they jogged.

The blood caught the attention of a few corpses but before he knew it she pulled a stone away from the wall and was beckoning Garrett into it. He felt a little suffocated but it opened into a larger passage. The brick was easily moved back into place due to little crevices on the sides. Garrett moved along ahead of her easily. She saw that she fell into the sides of the passage more than once, like a newborn foal trying to walk.

The light of the early risen sun stung as he watched the woman collapse in the dirt. It was safe to say he was relieved to be out of the Bonehoard. He was singed, slightly damp, dirty, and definitely smelled like rotting flesh. He found himself hoping all of these trinkets were worth the trouble.

“How did you manage to get hurt in there?” He inquired a little more harshly than intended. It didn’t seem right to just take her loot and leave her bleeding. She was on her back trying to slow her breathing.

“I disregarded a warning. The gaze caught me.” She was clutching her ribcage over her cloak. Garrett had a flashback of his cloak catching on fire.

“Surely it cauterized?” 

“I’m guessing that the rubbing of the bandages I put on it must have irritated the skin. I was just trying to keep dust out of it.”

“You still went on to get the horn?” He was surprised. “Alright, I can patch you up at Basso’s. Let’s go”. He held out a reluctant arm that she took to stand with a bloody hand. 

“You are a most confusing person. You would have let me die just minutes ago.”

“I like getting myself out of deadly situations like the Bonehoard. If someone else happens to get killed, it’s not my problem. Unfortunately you seem to have lived.” A swallow held back the rest of what he was going to say. Sometimes when angry, he acted rashly and right about now he would have regretted letting her fall. The woman kept quiet through the few twists and turns they took to make it back to the city. Basso lived in a pretty good area. Garrett made sure to use his knock on Basso’s ground level window to let him in.

“Garrett? Holy hell… What were you guys doing?” Basso helped heave the woman through the window and onto the cold stone floor.

“Working. This is what happens when you try to take my jobs.” He was still pretty angry. He did his part, she would be fine here. Basso left to fetch a pail of water while yelling to his sister to bring bandages and booze. The woman unclasped her cloak and let if fall from her face and shoulders. Her hair was pinned up and the color of the dark chocolate he sometimes came across in manors, her face was a little sunken and at the moment, slightly gray. Basso stood on one side helping her unravel the stained bandage she had placed across the large wound. Blood and skin came off and she winced every time Basso had to pull a little. Her fingers fumbled with her leather chest-piece and Garrett saw a dark shredded hole in the side. Basso had left to gather another bucket. The voices in the hall traveled enough for them to make out that water was being boiled but Basso had drank all of the booze. Gwyneth would have to leave to get more. Garrett moved closer to help her unlace and raised an eyebrow when he saw the darkness in the hole was all dark blood.

“You don’t have to help.” Her mouth was in a grimace. His gloved hands touched hers for a split second as he helped untie the knots. Basso was in a moment later. He spooned water onto her side. 

“By the Gods that’s cold. I thought you were boiling some water?”

“I figured you could use something cool at the moment. Looks like a gnarly burn.” She used a dirty finger to peel the burnt leather from her skin, taking a little skin with it. The gaze had singed her tunic to her skin as well. It was soaked with blood. She lifted it little by little as they peeled it from her side. Her white eyes moved slightly, almost back into her head more than once. 

The tunic was off finally, her chest strapped down with wraps from earlier in the day. Dark pink, red, and black skin in the circumference of his cooking pot was splashed across her ribs on the right side. Garrett felt himself flinch as Basso poured cool water on her. The skin was ripped and bleeding in places where the rubbing at taken a toll.

“Dammit you!” The woman let out a much longer stream of obscenities. Garrett stood next to Basso’s sister, Gwyneth. Garrett had been visiting with her for a while, but today he just wanted to relax. He watched as she knelt down and wrapped the woman’s wounds with slightly damp bandages. Garrett felt bad. He didn’t cause any of the pain but he did almost let her die. He wasn’t one to like causing the death of anyone.

“Thanks for the help, but I better go.” She stood up, slightly leaning, after pulling her soiled tunic on. She had her cloak and leather in one hand, the other was holding her side.

“You can’t go anywhere like that-“ Basso started but Garrett watched as she slunk back and was out the window in a blink. “She isn’t going to make it far. If she isn’t careful that thing is going to get infected.” Basso shook his head. “How the hell did you end up with her again? I stopped fencing.” Garrett sighed and explained what had happened. Basso didn’t seem terribly surprised. Garrett watched Gwyneth as she picked up the water bucket and started to clean up. Garrett stayed for a quiet bite with his friend and then disappeared through the window as well. He didn’t much care for doors. 

Once home he was able to relax. He peeled off his sweat soaked clothes and filled a basin to clean them. While he let them soak a little, he patched up the large singed area on his thick winter cloak. Soon he had everything clean and lowered himself into a clean basin of warm water.

With a deep sigh he finally felt the stress of the night lifting from his bones. He had plenty of loot, enough to cover rent for a long while. Jobs always come and go so he found it nice whenever he came upon a really good score. His arm was sore, but the sword had not sliced through his leather bracers. They were thick leather and had padding underneath, but it had hit hard enough to leave a small bruise. He rose from the quickly cooling water and toweled off before throwing on a clean tunic and pants and collapsing into bed.


	9. Assassins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett finally gets to relax a little; easy peasy not much happens chapter

”The ancient corruption was again contained. To do more would have upset the balance, but we knew to remain ever vigilant lest it resurface. Neither the Hammers not the pagans could be trusted not to meddle.”  
-Keeper Annals  
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I had some money to spare after disposing of the Horn, so it seemed time to invest in some new… “tools”. Farkus is one of the few merchants willing to sell to an independent like me, and his prices are steep… but the other choice is to let one of the so-called “City Wardens” give me orders… AND take a cut of his profits. They’d been after me for years to join one of their stables, but I’m not interested. Maybe they’ll get the idea and give up. More likely they’ll just ramp up the threats. Nothing I can’t handle if I’m careful, AND lucky. And my luck seems to have finally turned for the better…  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garrett woke to a new day’s light streaming in through his dirty window. He couldn’t help but to lie in bed and just think. For some reason he couldn’t get his mind off of the woman. She had picked up and just left. She had been hurt and would rather be alone than in the company of at least one person that slightly cared for her, Basso. He wondered what kind of place she lived in and how on earth she managed to make it through the Bonehoard being blind and impaired from her wound. Looking at her, she seemed blind but she could really make her way around. He realized he had to move once he caught a whiff of himself and cringed. He smelled like death. The bath the night before simply did not cut it. After he lugged the buckets up the stairs to his room and filled the basin he didn’t care about heating the water. He stripped down and stepped in, feeling the sting of the cuts he had obtained over the past few jobs. He had a burn on his thigh, blisters on his hands, scrapes on his knees, and a few random cuts from catching himself on different objects. The water in the tub barely came up to his belly button so he had to get a cloth and scrub down. He half leaned back after he was mostly clean and let himself really sink down, the dark water pooling above his navel. At least the smell of rotting flesh had mostly gone.

A few deep breaths later and he was ready to come out and empty the water into the drain in the side of his bathroom. His sore muscles twinged as he wrapped his burn and put on a new outfit, sans cloak and let himself sleep for a while longer. Later, he cleaned up around his apartment and then donned the burnt but slightly repaired thing to go out to sell off his new objects. First was a stop to the buyer of Lord Bafford’s scepter, whom Basso had given name, and then to his other fence Farkus. No one on the street looked his way; walking in the shadows was fairly easy to do on a calm day like this. He walked into Farkus’ small shop and gestured to the good stuff. After selling off the jewels and trinkets the pair exchanged coin for some new lock-picking tools. Next thing Garrett knew, an arrow came flying through the shop window and Farkus was done for. The hell? He felt the blood leave his face as he huddled in a dark corner.

”That shot was meant for me.” Someone wanted Garrett dead. Not surprising really but he still didn’t like it. He snagged what he could from the shop while the assassins discussed that they were sure it was their mark and he was dead. 

“I’m going to follow them and show them just how dead I am.” He snuck behind the dumb pair all the way to Ramirez’s place. They hardly checked behind them, and Garrett was sure he could have just strode up next to them and had a long chat they were so dumb.

”So these are Ramirez’s boys, I think it’s time I dealt with Mister Ramirez once and for all.”

He knocked a few of Ramirez’s men, climbed up into a tower and jumped onto the roof then onto his balcony. The balcony door was wide open, perfect for a thief like Garrett. Ramirez had a ton of loot in his room, but Garrett wasn’t going to stop there, unsatisfied. Ramirez was going to be sorry he ever tried to kill him. What he really wanted was the coin purse right off of Ramirez’s belt.

\----------------------------------------

Lucille had made her way back to her place in good time. She slid underneath the sewer grate onto a patch of dry rock with a simple bedroll and a few items of no importance. Some careful bending and leaning had her sat on her bed comfortably before she hung her head. She had failed. She needed to bargain for her life and had lost the best piece of loot because she wanted that stupid horn. In a way it had been fun to play with the sneak thief, but now she had been so embarrassed she never wanted to hear him again. She fell back onto her mattress and clicked. She couldn’t sense anything threatening, maybe a few rats, so she allowed herself to relax and try to sleep. She had been careless and now her side was in a constant throbbing ache. The Keepers had warned her about greed. She paid the price. 

Garrett was not a large man, fairly short, thin, and moved with purpose. She could only really see shadows when he moved in front of the light, and hear his shape with the click of her tongue. It was interesting how she had learned to adapt to seeing without really using her eyes. Stupid Keepers.

Keeper Artemus had been surprised when she had taken from studying hard the nature of glyphs to trying to become an enforcer. She was studying under the Enforcers for a while before she saw how they killed anyone they were told to, including a young child of another Keeper. They were not allowed children, Artemus had been very lucky to have kept her. The Keepers found their acolytes as children off the streets. After learning her skills could be used elsewhere, where she didn’t have to listen to anyone but herself or kill anyone she didn’t want to, she bolted. She had a feeling that the man had done the same. She dug into her thoughts. He was ready to let her fall and just die one moment, but the instant she offered him gems he had changed to helping her. She snorted. Greed is a terrible thing but it both did her well and harm that day.

\-------------------------------------------

As he was heading down a ladder to the first floor Garrett overheard some guards talking about him. They said that they had heard of him and he was not one to be trifled with. Except they added he had been killed by the assassins. Well they were not going to be happy when Ramirez can’t pay them after Garrett is done robbing him blind. 

”It may be time for me to move along now. Don’t want to wear out my welcome.” He had gotten what he wanted and also took all the money from the counting room. Hopefully Ramirez would think twice about having someone murder him. Either succeed or don’t try. Garrett practically skipped out of the manor with his new treasures. He felt pretty good and relaxed after the last few days. It had been an easy job, a fat steal, and his confidence had grown.


	10. Thieves Guild

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucille gets a visit from an old friend; Garrett goes about his normal stealing.
> 
> Just bits on background on Luce and how the Keepers work.

”In the beginning we lived as thieves, stealing fur and fang of beasts for survival. Then came the Builder who brought us the Hammer, and with it we forged a new way of life. To reject the Hammer is to denounce the Builder”  
-The Hammer Book of Tenets  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was going to pay Lord Randall and his vase collection a visit, but the Downwind Thieves’ Guild beat me to the score. Word is that they haven’t divvied up the booty yet. Apparently their leaders… Donal and Rueben… are arguing over the prized sapphire vase. Sounds like they could use a third party to settle their disagreement. Since I’m no mediator, I’ll just steal the vase from them. They’ll be so busy blaming each other no one will suspect an outsider.

The Downwinders run a gambling den called the “Overlord’s Fancy,” which operates under a nearby restaurant. The guild’s hideout is beneath the casino. I have a rough map of the complex I got from… “sources” from the inside. Once I’m in the “Overlord’s Fancy” I’ll have to search for the secret entrance to the hideout. Have to be careful… the Downwinders know me all too well. If they catch sight of me they’ll KNOW who took the vase. Assuming they don’t just kill me for trespassing.

Finding the vase may prove difficult since I have no idea where it is. Should be a hot topic of conversation among the Downwinders. Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to overhear where they’re stashing it. Time to make a living…  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After raiding Ramirez’s place Garrett had plenty of money to spare on some new boots, food, and even cloth for a new cloak. He patched up his old stuff and was ready to be back out on the street to grab another job after a couple of relaxing days. News of the vases caught him and when he was ready to snag it the Downwinders nabbed it. What was with people taking his jobs? He made his way over to the restaurant and broke in through the back door. Garrett was slightly peeved. This was going to be much harder than taking the vase from Lord Randall. 

He snuck his way through the restaurant and didn’t see the secret entrance anywhere so he headed to the second floor. There was a man sleeping with his sword in hand on a bed. A giant metal chute caught his eye so he decided to try it. Closing one eye, he hooked a rope arrow to the ceiling and made his way down past the bottom floor of the eatery. He had made his way into the gambling den.

”They’re so busy gambling their money away they won’t notice if I take a bit.” He snickered.

\-------------------------------------

Lucille awoke to a pain in her head and in her side. She could hear whispers as she pulled herself from the slightly warm bed sheets. Clicking a few times to test her surroundings she found nothing but rats. The Keepers wanted to speak with her but she never went to them. The forest had kept her alive, and she was sure they knew she was back in the city. Rogues didn’t live long with the Enforcers around. As if on cue she felt someone standing near her grate and she recognized that shape. Sighing, she threw the sheets in a pile on the bed and called the man down.

“Keeper Artemus, what are you doing here?” The man was inside before she could protest. Her hands took her leather chest piece and began to mend it while Artemus spoke.

“I’ve come to deliver a warning.” He sounded different than usual.

“I’m listening.”

“Our friend Garrett is a stone rolling downhill. If the prophecies are correct, he will soon get himself into quite the mess.”

“You find out I’m back, and just come here to tell me this? No hello? Are you even supposed to be telling me this?” She pricked herself with the needle on accident with shaking fingers.

“No, you know I’m not. Garrett won’t listen and, unfortunately, I feel like I should tell someone. He has no idea what is going to happen and to be fair neither do I. I just know it is going to be bad.” He stood stiffly, hands laced. He was never good at showing his feelings.

“So what in the blazes do you expect me to do?”

“I want you to keep watch over him. I’m tied by the rest of the Keepers, but you are not. They have yet to find you. Make sure he doesn’t get into a mess, and if he does start this prophecy, keep him alive.”

“Keep him alive? He was willing to let me die Artemus. Maybe he should fix his own problems.” She started to lace her armor over herself and Artemus came to lend a helping hand. He had raised her from a baby and she knew he raised the sneak thief as well. It was something she liked to forget. Garrett was always the main problem child of the Keepers and the favorite. 

“He will learn that to survive he needs someone other than himself.” Artemus finished the lacing.

“I still don’t understand.”

“Just watch him. Observe. If you can, help him. I know that no matter what a prophecy is a prophecy and must come to pass, but I will do what I can to protect him.”

“I’m not your guard dog. I am not part of the Keepers anymore.” She felt a heavy hand on her shoulder.

“This isn’t for the Keepers, Lucille. This is for me.” He wrapped her tight in his arms. “I’m glad to see you back, but I’m afraid of the timing. You both get in the most trouble.”

“Please I only fell off the spire in the compound one time. It’s not my fault that Keeper Chanteit dared me.” Artemus laughed softly and like that he was gone. A heavy sigh was released and she plopped down on the floor. What the hell did he expect from her? Tail Garrett constantly? How would that get her fed? She pinned her hair up and tucked away into her cloak. Time to eat.

It was easy to push through the crowd and snag a loaf of bread. A corner made a fine place to sit, eat, and people watch. Everything was just shadows against shadows with the occasional extremely light hue of color. She was tagged by the Enforcers one time and only once. She would remember it forever for it had cost her eyesight. They had bent down, forming metal pokers from their fingers and into her eyes leaving behind something but she wasn’t sure what it was. Return to the Keepers or next time she would be dead. They had not returned for her and she had not returned to the Keepers. She got to her feet and headed for Basso’s. Maybe he would have an idea of where the sneak thief was hiding in his downtime


	11. Thieves Guild 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett gets a little too cocky, he also has an unwanted guest in his home.

Being underground didn’t make Garrett feel better. If he was found there was nowhere for him to run. He stopped by a large metal door and overheard two thieves talking about the Bafford job. Apparently Bafford was furious when he found his things to be missing and the thieves called Garrett “the only one slime foolish enough”. 

“I’ll show them slime. Nighty night boys.” He hit them and ducked into a sewer grate.

”Lord Randall’s would have smelled better.” Attempting to not breathe the entire time he was waist deep in filth proved to be a tough challenge. He splashed his way through as quietly as possible until he saw a giant metal door. Thom was around a corner and Garrett took to shadowing him. Thom was Rueben’s right hand man. Garrett knew he’d have something, and after he took him out he found the key to Rueben’s house AND Lord Randall’s bracelet. He smiled at the jackpot he had just hit. A few twists and turns and he was inside Rueben’s house. He opened a door with a key he lifted from the previous guard’s belt. A secret door on the wall held a couple gold and silver nuggets, and a box containing what Garrett assumed was the safe key.

“Now I can get HIS vase.”

Soon Garrett saw he was too cocky. He went down a ramp to the second floor and knocked a guard just to have another one come up behind him and yell. Garrett’s heart stopped as the guard yelled and swung his sword directly into Garrett’s arm and chest. Pain felled him to his knee but he managed to duck the next swing. Garrett had a choice, kill or run. He made a run for it. 

A couple quick steps and he managed to duck into an unlit fireplace. He held his arm and shivered as he hid from the yelling guard. It hurt bad. He took a binding from his pocket and wound it around the arm wound tightly. He didn’t have time to look at it now but didn’t want to bleed out.

The metal grate made him stumble as he quickly exited when the guard left. Garrett no longer had any reason to be in Rueben’s house. He hated going through these tunnels, and he really didn’t want to go through the sewage with his cuts, but a thief has got to do what a thief has got to do. Once this is over he could go and clean up but for now he would just have to be covered in blood, sewage, and soot. He bit his lip as he tried to lift himself free of the dark goo.

”Ah a back door.”

He couldn’t even express how happy he was to finally be in Donal’s house. Once he got that vase he was heading home. The only problem in here was that his house was just filled with tile and stone. Garrett managed to make his way into a room filled with paintings and banners; perfect for hiding valuables. The safe was hidden behind a large blue banner. The pretty vase was now Garrett’s. Time to make his escape.

It only took him a few minutes to find his way back out. After a few while in a place he could remember the layout fairly well. He took the thieves’ highway back home and nearly collapsed. The burning pain was growing. He slammed his way into the small apartment and collapsed in a chair.

“You don’t look too great, sneak thief.” The woman seemed to conjure from thin air.

“How in the fuck did you find my apartment?” He went to stand with a snarl on his face.

“Be calm Garrett. I’m not here for trouble. I also have not taken anything.”

“How am I supposed to be calm? You’re in my house!” His hands formed fists as she sauntered over.

“I meant no harm. On that, you look injured. Let me help you.” She kneeled next to his chair and patted the seat. Garrett resisted asking exactly how she was supposed to see what was wrong. Her thin fingers touched his leather and unlaced it the second they caught the ties. “If you are uncomfortable with me touching you, I can at least fix this for you.” She motioned to the tear in the leather and sniffed. “But you’re bleeding pretty substantially.”

“I just caught myself on a blade, I’m fine.”

“You mean a blade caught you, sneak thief.” He watched her lips curl into a smile. “You need to watch yourself. Just because you are ONE of the best THIEVES in town doesn’t mean you can’t get caught.” The extra emphasis caught him off guard and he settled back into a snarl.

“You need to leave.”

“Oh but I’m just getting started.”

“You don’t need to.” The woman stood up, no emotion apparent on her porcelain face.

“Whatever you are planning sneak thief, just skip it and relax. No need to… get yourself hurt.” With that she was gone. He let out a pained breath as he peeled the tunic from his skin. He bit the top off of some alcohol and poured it across the two long slashes. The one on his arm was much deeper and would require stitches. Grimacing, he managed to stitch it shut and rewrap it. His skin crawled at the thought of someone knowing where he lived. She could come in at any time and take anything. He needed to get rid of his new found loot and fast. The bed let was beckoning for him to relax for just a tic, but sleep’s embrace found him before he could rise.


	12. The Sword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett and Luce actually have a sort of meaningful conversation, but she has to leave the city for her own safety.

”Builds your roofs of dead wood. Builds your walls of dead stone. Builds your dreams of dead thoughts. Comes crying laughing singing back to life, takes what you steal, and pulls the skins from your dead bones shrieking.”

-Clay tablet in an abandoned Trickster temple  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I was contacted by a woman named Viktoria. She claims to represent a client who was impressed by the way I took care of Ramirez, and now wants me to steal something for him. The target is a magical sword, owned by a nobleman and collector named Constantine. Little is known about Constantine except that he is an eccentric new face in this city, and mostly keeps to himself. Viktoria says the sword will probably be on display, but it will be well protected by guards and security systems. She also mentioned that the guards are tough and organized, and the mansion is confusing to navigate in.

The house was constructed recently, so I’ve had to piece together my own map, from observation and hearsay. Sounds like the place is a bit of a maze. I guess if you’re rich enough you can buy any sort of madhouse to live in.

This is going to be a challenging job, but it will pay better than the last few I’ve taken. As usual, the front entrance is heavily guarded, but I’ve managed to find another way in. ‘Course once I’ve picked up the sword I’ll still have to worry about getting back out…  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garrett awoke the next day and got dressed and ready to sell the vase, for which he got a hefty sum. He was on his way home when Viktoria stopped him and told him about the sword. Of course, he accepted figuring that he could always use more money. Quickly, it all was planned for the next day.

He cut through South Quarter, and came upon Basso’s place in minutes. Their double tap knock let Basso know it was a friend, and Garrett entered through the window. Basso seemed pretty into the gem he was polishing.

“I thought you said you had stopped fencing.”

“I have. This is just something left over. Just in case.” Basso sat up and tucked the gem in his shirt pocket. Basso’s was always welcoming and warm. He had a large carpet in the center of the room, and always had bread on his side table.

“Did you tell that woman where I live?” Garrett couldn’t keep the venom from his voice.

“Lucille? No. I’m not even sure myself where you live. Why?”

“She showed up last night.”

“Interesting. She didn’t seem keen on people when I met her. She did come around asking, but I didn’t tell her anything.” Basso walked over to his desk and ate a chunk of dried meat.

“I don’t think she is. She was… fidgety.” 

“You think someone put her up to it?”

“Perhaps. I just wish I knew. She just told me to hold off on whatever I was planning. Which was nothing at the time.”

“Maybe she just feels like she needs to repay her debt?” Basso raised an eyebrow while thinking about the night she was injured. “I didn’t think she would have made it this long. Lucky for her it seems to be healing fine.”

“You see her often?”

“No. She only comes around when she needs something. Like I said, she isn’t keen on people. When I saw her she was limping but looked better. Less pallid. ”

Garrett spent the day chatting with Basso and then half-heartedly flirting with Gwyneth. She seemed to be avoiding him a little, not that Garrett minded much. He knew she was getting to a point in her life where she was looking for a husband and Garrett was not the type. No questions were answered and he was a little upset but didn’t dwell on it. After a good rest that night and the next day, he was ready to take on the elusive sword.

He scaled the outside wall without incident but it was getting in the mansion and navigating it that was going to be the hard part. He glanced around the stone walls and noted a wooden beam that would be able to withstand a rope arrow. Once inside he found some coins next to a bed and smiled. Easier than expected though maybe getting the sword would be the really difficult part. 

Soon the quick job was turning into an all-night ordeal. The floors were nearly all tile and he had to move so slow his legs were cramping. By chance he glanced up to find a door in the ceiling. 

“Who does that?” He whispered to himself. For a moment he thought he was going to fall over. The chests were on opposite sides of the two walls, one with tile floor and one with carpet. The ceiling and floor both looked like there were pressure plates that set off a trap. This is why Viktoria had said the mansion was confusing; the rooms were all topsy turvy!

At one point he went to open a door just to find a giant stone carving of a face. Things were pretty weird. He couldn’t wait to get the sword.

\----------------------------------------------------

“You were at Garrett’s a few days ago?” Basso inquired as Lucille handed him a few trinkets she had picked up during her walk over. Sometimes she didn’t even ask for payment, but Basso always provided.

“Yes. Did he tell you? He was injured and did not let me help.”

“He’s a private man. I don’t even know where he stays. How did you manage to find him?”

“Easy. I just watched the comings and goings; asked a few questions.”

“Alright Luce, just don’t bother him too much.” Basso inspected a green jeweled necklace she had pulled from a pouch. She dropped by every few days to hand of a few of the lesser pieces to Basso, it made her feel better about how he had helped her even though they had only been acquainted a month or so ago.

“I don’t plan on it. I’m just more keeping an eye on him.” Basso stifled a laugh. “Yes I get it, I’m blind, and it’s funny.” She raised a hand in defeat as Basso chortled. 

“So are you just watching him or?...” Basso smirked.

“It’s nothing like that Basso. I’ve been asked to make sure he doesn’t get himself into a mess.”

“From who?”

“Mutual friend.” Her ears pricked and she tilted her head.

“Luce?”

“I wasn’t here. Ever. There will be trouble for you, your family, if you breathe word.” She quickly melded with the shadow as she attempted to open her mind more. She could hear something speaking in her head. Enforcers. Shit. She had avoided them for so long. The First Keeper at the time had convinced the Enforcers to just harm her to get her to come back, according to Artemus. He had also been able to hold them off but the Keepers must have found out she had been speaking with one of their own. Now they meant business. She would really have to watch her step to prevent her own death and continue to shadow the sneak thief. 

Shadows were her friend until she could no longer hear the Enforcers telepathy. Her fingers curved around a purse as she cut it loose. She darted to Garrett’s apartment, figuring he would be home in the wee hours of the morning if he was out on a job. She stole her way inside and did a quick study of the apartment with a click. She wasn’t sure what she expected to do. Tell Garrett he was on his own in something he didn’t understand and then disappear once again, hoping that the Enforcers didn’t find her? She let her fingers run across the desk. She had lied to him last time she was here. She did take something. A single old coin from the top of his desk. Just her own proof that she could take from the thief. She didn’t think she was better than him, not at all, but that she could snag something from him made her giddy. She sat in his chair and flipped the coin between her fingers.

\--------------------------------------

Garrett’s head was spinning. He had just exited a tunnel filled with water, from where he just left a room where he was a giant towering over a small house and then he was a mouse, scaling a large desk and scurrying across the floor under large chairs. He had come up in a large sink with two knives larger than his whole body. Who constructed this stuff? 

He had a mean headache as a disembodied giggling assaulted his ears. Where was the sword? Getting out was all he could think about. Soon he was outside on floating tiles, up in the sky. After hopping across, hoping that he didn’t fall into the abyss, he was truly ready to go home. This job was too insane for his liking.  
He did in fact spy the sword right after that ordeal. It was suspended by some sort of magic in between two giant rings. A few guards less later and a climb, the sword was in his hands.

”Time to take my new sword and get outta here.”

Anxious wasn’t even the best word for how he felt about getting out of this crazy house. He basically sprinted from the sword room to some grassy caves, down a tile ramp, and fell onto the first floor hurting his ankle in the process. He scaled his rope arrow and darted out. The pay didn’t feel like it was worth the trouble, but he reminded himself of the healthy sum. 

“Get out of my chair.” He grunted when he entered the apartment. The woman Basso had called Lucille was sitting in his seat, un-hooded. “Why are you here?”

“Honestly I’m not sure what I wanted to say.” He watched as she stood up and flinched. Her burn must have still been hurting. It was not a pretty or easy healing wound.

“Then get out.” He set the sword on the desk.

“The Keepers seem to be thinking you are getting yourself into a mess.”

“Now you really have to get out. I don’t deal with Keepers.”

“I don’t either usually. This time a mutual friend asked me to keep an eye on you. I thought you should know.”

“I can take care of myself.” He unlaced his boots and studied his sore ankle. It seemed fine, he must have just landed on it wrong.

“Fine but if you get into a mess I won’t be around to help out.” Her lips were pursed. “I’ve got to take my leave from the city for a while. With the Enforcers on my tail, I doubt I could be much help anyway.” Garrett stopped unlacing his leather.

“Enforcers?”

“Artemus kept the First Keeper satisfied for as long as he could I suppose. I don’t know if they will be able to find me out in Pagan territory though, so that’s where I’m headed.” 

“Artemus?” He had not seen Artemus in a long while. His elder was not pleased with how Garrett left.

“Are you deaf? Yes Artemus.”

“He asked you to look after me?”

“Just don’t fuck up Garrett. He seems to really care about you.” She couldn’t withhold the jealousy in her voice and it whipped Garrett like a strong wind. “Don’t know why he asked me. I was always a failure.” With that last whisper she was gone once more. The Enforcers were after her? He doubted that she would survive. Artemus was worried about him? Worried enough to have someone outside of the Keepers to look after him after all. Why didn’t he just come tell him on his own? A heavy sigh brought realization. He knew it was because every other time Artemus came by he had just turned the man away. It pained him but he tried to keep emotions and relationships with anyone at the lowest they could be. After all, Artemus was a Keeper. To Garrett, the Keepers were just as bad as the Hammerites and Pagans.


	13. The Haunted Cathedral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett goes to get the Eye and remembers why he hates Keepers.

Garrett was sitting in his apartment with the sword when he heard a soft knocking on his door. He had just finished wrapping his arm once more after making sure it wasn’t infected. He jumped up and pulled his knife waiting by the door.

”Garrett? It’s Viktoria. I trust you made it back alive? You’ve done well Garrett. Come with me, and bring the sword. There is someone you have to meet. It’s time for the payment you’ve been promised.”

”Yes.” He went with her to a slightly weird place. A stained glass window showed a hanging and there was a lot of greenery around. He sat in a chair by the fireplace while Viktoria got the man and stood in front of him.

”A refreshment Mister Garrett? I’m in the possession of a superior brandy that has the most… restorative… effect.”

”I prefer my payment in CASH… not liquor, Mister…ahh…” He had no idea who this man was.

”My apologies.” The man said as he reached down and lifted up the bottle.

”I’ve been watching you, Mister Garrett. So closely, in fact, that I’m afraid I’d forgotten we haven’t actually met yet. I am… Constantine.” As he was speaking Garrett’s gaze shifted to a tapestry on the wall of a cave drawing with people and animals running. He looked back at Constantine, an older balding man.

”All this time I thought you were going to pay me. You’ve brought me here to kill me?”

”But you have it all wrong, Mister Garrett.” He extended the glass to Garrett, whom accepted it from him. Might as well just do as he’s told. He’d rather that than death.

”Would it surprise you to know that it was I who hired you to steal my own sword?” He set the bottle on the table where some green drops fell.

”Yes. You see, Viktoria and I are…” He was interrupted by Viktoria.

”Old associates.”

”Yes. You were being tested. Do you understand? And I must say, you more than live up to your reputation. You are quite an extraordinary thief.” As he was speaking Garrett was a little shaken. Testing him? For what?

”Testing me? What is it you want from me, Constantine?”

”I am a collector, Mister Garrett.” He gestured to the mantle which contained an array of odd items. “But there are some… items, that are not available for purchase. They must be acquired using other means. In this case the item in question would be best acquired by thieving. Not simple thieving… no. I need an artist. Like yourself.”

”What exactly IS this… item?”

”It’s a gemstone called The Eye, for its unusual…” He was again interrupted by Viktoria.

”Appearance.” 

”Yes. Kept hidden in the sealed cathedral deep inside the halls of the scum Hammerites. Oh, but forgive me. You are, possibly… friendly… with the Order of the Hammer?”

”No. Fanatics make unreliable friends.” Garrett hadn’t touched his drink. His insides were swirling. Was he going to threaten him to get this gemstone?

”Excellent. I am prepared to offer you quite a sum. A hundred thousand, upon receipt of The Eye.”

”I don’t see how I can refuse such an offer.” His dread turned to excitement. A hundred thousand. That would last him a long time. He downed his drink. It tasted earthy.

”Marvelous. Viktoria can fill you in on all the particulars. And Mister Garrett… the sword. Keep it.” He stood up and shook Constantine’s hand. “You have earned it. But also… I believe you will find it useful in your quest…” Garrett let go and left the room. Viktoria would tell him all about this soon.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Come the time of peril, did the ground gape, and did the dead rest unquiet 'gainst us. Our bands of iron and hammers of stone prevailed not, and some did doubt the Builder's plan. But the seals held strong, and the few did triumph, and the doubters were lain into the foundations of the new sanctum.

\-- Collected letters of the smith-in-exile

The Eye that Constantine wants is in the abandoned cathedral of the Hammerites. The cathedral is located in the section of the city that was deserted years ago, after some kind of catastrophe. 

I've heard stories of the incident, most are wild rumours about hordes of zombies and raging fires. Now that part of the city is walled off, no one's allowed to go in. Not that many people would dare to in the first place. 

Maps of the area are easy to find, in attics, and old trunks, but like all of them, the one I've got is over fifty years old. I'll make my way through the ruins to the Hammerite cathedral, and find a way inside. Once I get inside the cathedral, I'll have to locate The Eye. 

Something tells me that this is not going to be easy. But for the amount I'm getting paid, I'm willing to take some serious risks.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

When he had scaled the large brick wall and landed on the other side a chill went down his spine. Something just didn’t feel right. He could smell the sweet decay as he ran his fingers across the moss covered cobblestone his feet rested upon. He had a plan in mind. He was going to snag The Eye as fast as possible, and on the way back take the Serpentyle Torc and leave coins on the Watchman’s Grave for good luck. He wasn’t one for superstition, but all the old thieves used to leave coins there and he just wanted to carry on the tradition.

He darted past a burrick and dove into a sewer pipe. He wasn’t very happy about being soaking wet again but this was the fastest way. He quickly came across something he had never seen before. It was of average humanoid size, but it made clicking and chirping sounds, had two large claw hands, and had a head that reminded Garrett of the widely spaced eyes of the sharks that sometimes were sold at the docks. He cringed at the sight and bolted up onto the wooden beams above the creature.

After successfully navigating around no less than four more burricks, he came upon the cathedral. A broken sword lay at the gate along with some bones, long ago the flesh did decay. A few statues with arms open showed the front gate, above which resided a plaque that simply stated, “Warning: Great evil resides in this place, and it is no longer fit for men. The doors are sealed, to protect us from that which lies within. Do not remain here.”

He felt another shiver run down his spine and then he scoffed. He had seen plenty of weird things and survived them. This “great evil” was probably no more than a few corpses. The statues each had a symbol beneath them and the door would not budge. Garrett made his way around to the other side and scaled the wall up to a window far too small for him to squeeze through but he could see The Eye. It was so close.

"Comes a man to rescue me...poor man, the Keepers have sealed the door, and only they know how to open them. Cross you the bridge to the grotto of the Keeper Sentinel. Stand you on the pedestal...and illuminate the statue with fire. Then can you discover...the secret of the Talisman."

The eye had spoken. Garrett turned away confused. He could see why Constantine wanted to collect it. It was obviously very powerful. But why did the Keepers want it locked up? He had a quick moment of thought before deciding that it wasn’t his problem. He was getting paid enough to retire. The Keeper Grotto was not far. He lit both torches with fire crystals and a door opened. A quick move and he stole his way inside with a small twitch. He loathed being around anything to do with the Keepers but it was almost impossible to avoid them. Opening something that they had locked away would be a huge triumph though.

“It really does look like this place was built by my old pals, the Keepers. I wonder what they are hiding in here.” He passed through some tumbledown statues, and weighted a pedestal down to open the gate. A few turns later and he was able to pick up some keys and papyrus.

Keeper Lukas, 

We have received word of your fears, and we understand and indeed share them. We did not lightly take the decision to involve ourselves in this matter. However, we believe that we were compelled to act. Were the Trickster not opposed, he could bring destruction upon the entire city, and upon us as well. We have endeavored to conceal our efforts as best we can. I can only hope that we have been successful. 

Yours in knowledge,

Keeper Andrus

The Trickster? That old god that the Pagans worshiped? Garrett had never actually seen any proof that the old Gods were real and had no reason to believe they were anything but lore. Seeing the Keepers write about them made his skin crawl. There was one more papyrus.

Keeper Andrus,

We are relieved to hear that you have successfully contained the destruction. It was for just such a contingency that the Elemental Wards have been saved these many years, and we support your decision to use them now, as the peril that you have described is grave indeed. We urge you to hide the Talismans with great care, as their discovery could lead to another such catastrophe. We worry also that your actions have exposed the truth of our existence to the world, which we must not allow. 

Yours in knowledge,

Keeper Lukas

This is why Garrett had left the Keepers. To him it seemed as if this Keeper had helped save the area, yet because he possibly showed the word that Keepers existed he was most likely executed. They never had any problem killing off their own. They all had no family, no one to worry about them when they were gone. Just orphans picked off the street. He had just remembered that Lucille was being chased by Enforcers. He wondered if she was dead or if she had made it to Pagan territory and possibly survived. In a way he found himself rooting for her. He swallowed and moved on into a room with a large map showing the same symbols as the ones on the cathedral. A book explained he needed the elemental talismans to enter the cathedral and the portal key to get into the lost city, where the fire talisman was being kept. Garrett pursed his lips. The mission just got much harder. He turned and went back into the city. He snagged the Torc from a house with what he called Hammer Haunts and dropped a few coins on the Watchman’s grave before deciding to head immediately to the Earth Talisman.


	14. The Mage Towers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've started combining levels to really get the story moving
> 
> Garrett heads off to get the talismans and Lucille isn't happy with what she learns from the Pagans.

From unknown origins they came. They live isolated beyond the city. The extent of their arcane power is unknown. We must be very cautious in dealing with them. Close observation must continue.

\-- Keeper Xavier, Treatise on Mages  
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The Talisman of Earth is guarded by a foreign mages' sect known as the "Hand Brotherhood". They reside in a compound of huge towers, where they practice their arts of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. The Talisman is likely kept in the Earth tower, but there's little chance it'll be that simple. No doubt the Talisman is heavily guarded and probably protected by magic. But mages love to write everything down...I should "stumble" on something useful about their precious trinket.

I bribed some servants to get me a map of the common grounds...the best I could do since only the mages are allowed in the towers. I'll enter the courtyard just outside the central keep entrance. Once inside I'll need to move quickly to find the Talisman. I wouldn't last long in a fight against the mages.  
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The knowledge of those who came before could neither be disseminated nor destroyed. Its power would be a dangerous tool in the wrong hands, but would also insure against future cataclysm. At that time we chose to maintain it with writings preserved in extant locations.

\-- Keeper Annals  
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The Keepers have hidden the Talisman of Fire in a place they call "The Lost City". Some kind of cataclysm buried the place underground ages ago. The Keepers have sealed the access to the city, a cleft in the river bottom near the east side. If the materials in the library are right, the strange stone I found can be used to open that seal.

I've also got a map, it's so old the edges crumble in my hands. It shows the city, or at least how it was back then. I hope the old place hasn't changed much.   
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Blindness is the manfools, theys gathers up treasures and greeders themselves on gold rocks and fetters. The Woodsie One wreaks thems with lilacs and nettles and gathers theys bones for His porridge and feathers.

\-- Text Unattributed, Sumac on Parchment  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Keepers stashed the Talisman of Water in a series of hidden caverns located deep below the city. According to their map I'll find it in a shrine located in the lowest cavern. I don't expect to run into anything too threatening other than a few venomous spiders, however the map does contain this note: "Stand not against us, lest you feel the sting of ignorance's barbs." Heh...sounds like Keeper talk for "We've rigged the place".

An informant of mine, Giry, made a home for himself in these caverns after he lost his job tending the ticket counter of a nearby opera house. He should know these caverns better than anyone, so I'll pay him a visit, to see if he has any useful information for me.  
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Lucille had everything ready. She strapped a small pack to her back and left the sewer. She was going to make for the forest on the outskirts of town. Hopefully the Pagans wouldn’t cause her too much trouble and the Enforcers wouldn’t think to look for her there. She took a deep breath. She had tried to help Garrett but he took her help like a knife in the back. He would just have to ruin his life on his own and the Keepers would just have to watch for the prophecy on their own. It wasn’t going to hurt her any. She ducked out of the city onto a dirt road and then into the thick brush near the Wayside Graveyard. She could see some little shacks and decided to go deeper in to the forest but away from the homes. She did not want to deal with the Pagans right now. She figured she would find a dense tree and set up near the top. She had only been out here once before and she attached herself to the tree using her grappling rope.

She cringed as she walked, thinking about the Pagan bloodlust and being fed to the plants for the Woodsie Lord. She was effectively blind in the woods. There was no real light and everything was just a large shadow. Every now and then she could spot the light of the moon streaming through the trees. Not being able to see at all unsettled her. She had to rely completely upon her clicks and listening skills. It didn’t surprise her when she stumbled upon some more Pagans worshiping the Trickster. To her surprise she could hear someone answering back. She gulped and climbed up into a tree. She could make out very muddled figures in a clearing. She perched in a crouch and listened. Voices wafted over like the smell of rotted flesh to a nose in a sewer. She couldn’t make out much, but what she could make out was horrific. 

They were playing with Garrett. The Pagans had a plan, and it did not include him living. She tried to hold in her quivering lip and fall from the tree quietly but a branch cracked under her foot. The voices she heard instantly quieted. She stood absolutely still, not even breathing until she felt breathing on her neck. 

“Fuck.” She quickly turned and her foot connected with a bone mask. The person inside seemed stunned as she ran like the wind. She was quickly knocked to her stomach by someone else.

“The Woodsie Lord will be pleased! Pleased!” The Pagan seemed ecstatic. She was pulled to her feet and drug into the clearing. Her eyes could see little as she was kicked swiftly in the face.

“What is this? A little birdie trying to fly away?” She could hear a woman’s voice. She blinked back tears and tried to clear her nose of the blood that had started to run thick down her face. A hand grabbed her hood and pulled it off, then lifted her by the hair to the nose of the woman. “Didn’t see much did you? But that isn’t what matters. String her up. He will be back to deal with her after we have dealt with the thief.” She felt excruciating pain as she was lifted in the air by her hands. They had tied a rope around them and she could hear giggling as she was hit with sticks. She tried to not cry out as they beat her. She would readily run into the Enforcers’ grasp. Soon one hit her in the ribs and she blacked out.  
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Garrett had finished getting the Earth Talisman from the mages. He was made to swim through a tower flooded from an accident, hop across floating rocks, and work around lava to get the darn thing. He was also able to get the Fire Talisman from the Lost City which was also populated by Mages. It took him nearly two full days to navigate the Lost City and he was feeling quite drained as he went to go to the caverns to fetch the Water Talisman. He was nearing thinking that the whole debacle wasn’t worth it, but pressed on at the thought of payment. He was halfway done. He could do this.

He stole around the outskirts of a guard tower and ducked into the sewers. The map had pictures of spiders on it and for good reason.

“Guess I’m not getting any information from Giry after all.” Giry was completely wound up in web. Next to him was a journal detailing that he was going to try and leave. Poor sod. Garrett pushed the second of sadness he had for his old friend and moved right along. He bypassed a few spiders, killed some and swam through the caverns. He has soon passed all the craymen and found the Keeper’s chest. He chuckled. This one was not as hard to get as the others. He slowly edged around the corner avoiding the arrow strewn corpse in the middle of the floor. A few arrows passed overhead but nothing he could dodge or anticipate. He licked his lips and opened the chest. 

“Empty? Now what?” He exasperatedly spoke. He was not happy. The note with the dead man showed he was from the opera house that Giry used to work for. That is where he was going to head. He came upon a hermit that was convinced that Garrett wanted to hear an entire play. The man did give him a map and a key. That kept Garrett around long enough to hear most of it before climbing up into the rest of the sewers and then the opera house.

“The curtains went down on this guy a long time ago, but he’s the best lead I have.” Garrett was still quite sour about the talisman. He managed to weed his way through the opera house and even found a secret passage into Lady V’s chambers to get the talisman. He felt like he was lucky to have found the passage, otherwise he would have never made it through to the talisman. He cleaned out the opera house and exited through the sewers. He only had one left to go, the Air Talisman.


	15. Undercover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett gets the Eye after a tango with the Hammerites and Lucille manages to escape the binds of the Pagans.

Having pledged our honour as shield over Air, we must be mindful. Let it be locked away and safe, but ever in view of the faithful. Future generations are hostage to our care.

\-- Hammerite Sermon of the Talisman  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Getting the Talisman of Air will be an interesting challenge, but I'll need it if I want to get "The Eye" for Constantine. It's well hidden inside the city's Hammer Temple, so I'll have to do some scouting around. Problem is the place is fully active, day and night, not even I could stay undetected for very long. Well they say that the best place to hide a letter is on the mantlepiece. 

With that in mind I'll be going in by the front door, dressed as a Hammerite Novice. That should be perfect since Novices aren't allowed to speak while on the Temple grounds.

My contacts can get me a Novice's pass to get me through the gate. Once inside I'll be free to take my time, explore the place thoroughly, and find the Talisman, as long as I don't do anything violent, or get caught somewhere I shouldn't be. Because as the new arrival I'll be the first person they suspect if anything goes wrong.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garrett had taken a quick rest before going after the last talisman. He had been going for the others nearly nonstop, barely a rest between excursions. He took a day and stopped to chat with Basso.

“So how’s it been?” Garrett had practically appeared on Basso’s bed.

“Not too much. I’m actually working. Not as a fence.” Garrett simply nodded. He was happy that Basso had found something else to do. No reason for one of his only friends to get mixed up in his type of life. They spoke about simple things for a while. Basso   
said he had become a bartender at the Crippled Burrick, and Garrett made a little joke about getting free booze although he tended not to drink much and if he did it usually was alone in his apartment.

“Have you seen Luce?” Basso inquired.

“No. Not for a few days at least. Why?”

“She was acting really weird a few days ago. Said she had to leave and that she was never here. I think she may have skipped town.”

“You’re not upset are you Basso? It was bound to happen.” Garrett shrugged.

“No not really. When actually taking the time to talk to her she was quite interesting though.”

“Am I not?” He spoke sarcastically. He wasn’t even close to worried about Lucille. She could take care of herself. He spent another hour before heading out, in full garb for a Hammerite Novice. This was going to be quick. He showed the guard at the gate his note and he was let in, no questions. It was incredibly easy to just snag everything he saw, and no one suspected a thing. He had to do a bit of footwork for the talisman which included taking a hammer from the high priest’s chambers, pulling timed switches, and reading the Wallbuilder’s Prayer before taking the Air Talisman. The second he snatched it an alarm sounded.

“Shit.” He jumped from the bridge he was on and darted through the basement, up some stairs and over a wall into the street. Finishing earlier than he expected he figured he had time to go grab the eye. It was in plain sight on the other side of the cathedral doors so why not just take it?  
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"And he did say, "Shall we not use this power, as our enemies used it unto us? Do we not carve their wild forests into our beams and boards? Do we not tame their raging streams to carry our boats?" And in their youth and foolishness, did his brothers say, "Yes, let us.""

\-- Collected letters of the smith-in-exile  
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With the Talismans, I'll be able to break the wards on the Cathedral. It's time for me to retrieve "The Eye" and bring it to Constantine. Last time I was here, "The Eye" was inside, in PLAIN SIGHT on the main altar. I just have to grab it, and leave. But that won't necessarily be easy if the place is as...haunted as it looked before. So if things get tough, there is another way out: through the gate in the Cloister, behind the Cathedral. The sooner this ordeal is over with, the better. When I get paid for this job, I'm gonna retire in style....  
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He pulled off his Hammer outfit and geared up for his trip back to the Cathedral. He was nearly shivering with anticipation at the money he was going to make once he gave The Eye to Constantine. He took the twists and turns just like last time to end up at the front of the cathedral. The second he put the first talisman in, he heard the eye.

"So...you are returned with the Talismans, you clever man. I did not think it likely that you would succeed." It spoke slowly and the constant whispers of, “Come to me”, were not helping. He went to scout the grounds when it spoke again.

“Where are you going? Have you come all this way only to leave me as I fall within your grasp?” Garrett bit his tongue and continued his search. Soon he was ready. The place was absolutely swarming with haunts, spirits, and animated corpses. He jumped atop the altar and took the eye within his fist.

"Well done, thief! But now that you have obtained your prize...can you escape with your skin?" Garrett went and tried to open the front doors.

“Leaving so soon? I think that would be too easy. These doors I’ve sealed once again. You have to find another way.” Its voice came out in a hiss from his cloak. Garrett let his fists smack the door. This was not fair. This was supposed to be a get in and get out mission.

He knew the other exit was out through the garden, the cloister. On his way there he was ambushed by a spirit. To his surprise it was actually friendly.

“Welcome to the majestic and splendid Hammer cathedral. How pleasing to welcome new initiates into our fold. I am Brother Murus and I will be thy spiritual guide. I see that thou are tired from your journey so I’ll leave thee be but if thou needst my help I can be found down in the cloister.” Heading that way regardless, he came upon the spirit once again.

“Aha our newest acolyte! Thou seems to have gotten thyself into some trouble hmmm? And from the looks of thee I’d say thou art used to trouble. Well I can help thee escape this desolate place is thou will help me with something. Since thou clearly came here to… collect things, thou can start by collecting some things for me. All brothers have rosary beads so thout needs some too. Thoust can borrow mine! I think I left them in my room. I remember that it was so nice to look out over the fountain in the garden. So be a good lad and bring me my rosary.” Garrett was upset. After looking around he realized that there was no way he was getting out without help. That stupid Eye. He managed to get the rosary, and then was asked for more. He also returned a holy symbol, a candle, and two bodies among other things. 

He also performed burials for the bodies and did a burial ritual for Brother Murus, who was ecstatic that he would finally not be a wandering spirit anymore. The last thing was a bit of a surprise for Garrett, and that was to kill all the Hammer Haunts in the building. Garrett was slightly unsure how to going about killing already dead besides holy water, which he was fresh out of. With a little testing, and none of his own blood spilled he realized that he could simply hit them with Constantine’s sword. He felt a sly smile come to his face. He would hide in the shadows and slice them on the back of their heads which caused them to fall and disappear. They were just spirits after all.

Finally he was sure that the haunts were all dead. He held back his feelings of exhaustion and relief as he went back to Murus. 

“Thou has been a great helps me friend, and I owe thee great thanks. I wish I could give you the key to the cloister gate but that is long lost. Take this key instead; it opens the armory in the attic!” Garrett phased everything else out. He could swear he was actually seeing red. He couldn’t even get out after going through hell and back, all because The Eye wanted to see him suffer! There were still dead things everywhere and he snatched the new key out of the air. The armory in the attic. He was really hoping there was something of use up there. 

After dodging more corpses and trudging his way up the stairs, he unlocked the armory. He gripped the explosive charge a little more tightly than needed as he returned back to the cloister gate. He threw the charge down and backed up. With a true aim, he shot a fire crystal at it and the gate blew open. He ran out into the street and made sure there were no burricks around before disappearing into the tight streets.

“Now you have your precious eye, what do you hope to do with me?” Garrett stopped holding his tongue.

“I would love nothing more than to feel the crack of you under my heel, but instead I’m retiring.”   
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Lucille groggily peeled her eyes open. Her forehead had been cut and she had been hanging for at least two days, maybe more. She was half surprised to see that there was a lack of guard around her. They had someone by her side every moment until now. What had changed? She clicked once. He was sleeping on a chair next to her. She thanked her lucky stars that whoever was supposed to deal with her had not come by yet. Another positive was that the Enforcers had not come for her either. She wiggled her fingers slightly and found them to be almost perfectly numb. She was not going to be able to just wiggle her fingers out. She felt that the rope had become slightly lax from the constant strain on it. She bent her legs up and used her boots to push the rope slowly from her wrists and over her hands, taking off more skin than she would have liked. She held back tears as she caught the rope in her palms as her wrists slipped though.

Her arms were exhausted but she forced them to keep working as she climbed the rope up into the trees. Her vision was blue and she pumped all of her energy into staying on the rope. Then she snuck painfully slowly to make sure no one heard her and noticed her absence. When she felt like she was far enough she broke into a stumbling run. She had to figure out where Garrett was supposed to meet with Constantine. She didn’t even try to clean the blood that coated her face from her head wound and possibly broken nose, she just kept moving.

“Dammit Artemus where are you?” For once in her life she wanted someone to tell her what to do, where to go. She didn’t really know how she felt about the thief, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to let him die. Her face lit up. She knew what to do. Time to repay the debt she owed.


	16. Escape!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett is nearly killed by the Trickster and Lucille attempts a rescue that ends in some feelings being hurt.

Garrett could smell fire as he entered the room. He had not yet slept and was eager to be rid of The Eye. The second it was free of his pocket it ripped from his grasp and floated through the air to Constantine’s hands.

“I can't tell you how pleased I am with you, Mister Garrett. I simply can't find the words, but perhaps Viktoria can help me in that regard. She has such a way with them.”

“Yes, we are both so VERY pleased.”

“Viktoria?” Garrett could now smell earth. He felt his stomach clench as roots began to grow in the room.

“Even though The Eye is...defective.” Viktoria added.

“What?!” The confused Garrett blurted out quite forcefully.

“Viktoria is quite right, Mister Garrett. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but this eye is completely blind.” Constantine raised his hand to inspect The Eye.

“It's a rock. It's what you asked for. Am I gonna get paid or not?” Now he was just frustrated.

“Of course. Viktoria, are you prepared to give Mister Garrett his....” Constantine ripped from his shirt and he began to bleed from his chest. Garrett felt his mouth seize up, the comment he was going to make lost to him.

“...Compensation?” Garrett took a step back as Viktoria’s clothes dropped and she grew vines across her. Her fingers turned to claws and her skin became like the bark of a tree.

“Bow to the Woodsie Lord, and offer up your flesh eye so that his Eye of Stone may see, Manfool!” He took another fast step but felt his chest pop as Viktoria pinned him to a pillar with vines from her arm. “Bids he then the spruces to singer him an anthems! And the Woodsie Lord binders them fleshes to stone!” Garrett watched in fear as her nails grew long and she inched closer, plucking his eye like the grape from a vine. Burning pain radiated through him as he was dropped to the floor, vines still holding him down as Viktoria withdrew, depositing his eye into the Trickster’s outstretched hand.

“Did you think those ancient phrases were mere words, Manfool? Look at me! I am The Woodsie Lord, The Trickster of legend! If you be thirsty, flesh thing, drink of me. If you be hungry, then feed for I am the honey-maker, and the jacksberry!” Garrett watched through tears as The Eye took his eye hungrily, glowing orange. The Trickster seemed pleased.

“He am the leaf that feeders on the fleshed ones.” Viktoria chimed. “Thems that calls themselves Builders and wielded up a hammers against him!”

“My poor Mister Garrett, you will not live to SEE the sprawling glory of it! Your sacrifice is not yet complete! Mine lilacs and mine thistleaids must feeds, and I?” Garrett could only half concentrate as his clutched at the empty socket of his face. “Stands He then in the greens and festered Maw and speeds He out his judgements upon the weeps and writhing manfools!” Garrett felt himself nearly becoming sick, but instead passing out in a restless sleep.  
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"Danced we in joys and triumphs. With us the Woodsie Lord danced the stringsie foolsie man Rose the storms in shouty glee, the darkness in feary glooms, the fires in happy greed. Danced we away, and fed the sad stringsie manfool to their devourings for our thanks."

\-- Final fragment of the "Notyets" manuscript  
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“This way?” Someone was speaking but Garrett could not bring himself to open his working eye.

“Look here. Our path is true.” Garrett heard one more voice over his own ragged breathing.

“In here?”

“Yes.”

“Since you left us, you've been a stone rolling downhill. Now you must aim this remarkable momentum. It is past time for the balance to shift.” A new voice was heard as Garrett opened his eye. They were Keepers, freeing him from the vines that so desperately wanted to devour his flesh. 

“They come.” The second voice spoke once more.

“Wha--? Wait!” Garrett could barely choke out.

“The Trickster will not forgive you for doing what he could not. Nor I trust will you forgive us.” The last man spoke for a final time before their footsteps could no longer be heard.

“Keepers. Looks like I'd better get moving, or whatever those things are will waste a perfectly good rescue....” He rubbed his throbbing head and created a makeshift eye patch from part of his ripped tunic. He was able to grab his blackjack from the altar and a few rope arrows before looking for an escape. The doors were all locked. The only way though was through some caverns under the manor. As he crept through, getting used to his absence of an eye, he noticed that there weird a manner of beasts here. Some were hairy and shuffled erratically and another looked like a cross between a bug and a frog. He passed them and hauled his way to a small opening in the upper cavern. His head was spinning. He did not want to stop here, not now. He would soon be dead if he didn’t keep moving.

After desperately trying to make his way out, Garrett collapsed in a treehouse. He had roped his way up and his head was throbbing. He found himself passing back out again, against his will. He struggled but he just could not keep awake. When he did wake, it was to someone touching his face. He lashed out, fist connecting with an already bruised face.

“Someone is angry.” Lucille’s voice wafted over delicately. Garrett blinked a few times to be sure he was seeing right. “I know a way out.” That was all she needed to say to truly get his attention. He wondered what hell she had been though. Looking at her pained him slightly. Blood was crusted down her face, although it was mostly covered by her cloak. She extended a hand to examine his socket and he saw raw flesh across her wrists and hands that also seemed bruised. This was not the work of the Enforcers but something, if possible, worse. He tried to swallow and Lucille smiled as she pulled a small vial of water from her cloak. He accepted as she took his hand and pulled him to his feet.

“Why-“ 

“Payback.” She shrugged under his weight as if helping a one eyed thief from the Trickster’s mansion was the most natural thing in the world. “I can explain more once we have you safe.” She helped him down the other side of the treehouse and back through some more caves. Garrett was so sick of these caves. In a haze of dizziness and pain Lucille had him pulled through the caves and into the mansion. Garrett slightly recognized the area. He half helped as she fought off a large monkey creature before jumping from a balcony into the grass.

“Get up, we just need to get through here…” She lifted him back up as he did a pained stumble and they both fell into the grass. He was exhausted and to his horror he had tears streaming down one side of his face. “Dammit Garrett get up.” He pulled to his feet as they stuck to the shadows as she led him to his apartment.

“Why not Basso’s?” He grunted out as they climbed the stairs to his place.

“Have you seen us? Do you really want him to see the mess we are in?”

“I think the better question is have you seen us?” He grumbled jokingly trying to stop the constant flow of tears. He watched as Lucille pursed her lips and pushed open his door, placing Garrett in his chair.

“If you have the strength to joke then you have the strength to put up with me cleaning you up a little. I didn’t save you for you to just die here.” She left the room to fetch a bucket of water. Garrett leaned back and tried not to think. He hadn’t even noticed he had fallen asleep. Lucille spent time getting gauze, cloths, and boiling water over the fire. Once the water had cooled to lukewarm she reached up to untie the makeshift patch Garrett had placed over his eye. He jumped and pushed back.

“Garrett, let me help you.” He didn’t like the idea, but he hurt too bad to argue. He felt her newly cleaned hands untie and then remove the bandage. The skin around the socket was inflamed and purple, but she took a cloth and slowly began to wipe it clean which hurt and also felt good at the same time. Soon he was clean and Lucille was half joking. Her voice seemed to have two modes, sarcastic and soft.

“You’ve got to get one of those glass eyes that the fishermen have sometimes. Then you can go around hitting people with fish.” Garret shook his head, confused. Lucille explained how she had been young and cocky. She tried to steal some dinner and ended up smelling like fish for a week. “I went back and got my taffing fish that’s for sure. I didn’t suffer for nothing.”

“I wouldn’t say smelling like fish is really suffering.” He motioned to his eye socket, now covered with a clean cloth.

“I steal to live. People could smell me from a mile away. I had to steal from the docks for quite a while before people in town stopped noticing the smell.” She sat back and began to clean her wrists. The skin was rubbed raw and in places the skin had torn off. She was going to have some serious scars. He reached out to help and this time she pulled back.

“Payback.” He didn’t know if it was the fact that he almost died and she had saved him, or what, but he was starting to have a soft spot for the girl. He knew that having feelings for anyone would be trouble for a thief but he insisted on helping patch her. At least today.

He helped her clean the wounds as she winced but did not let out a cry. He felt emasculated because he knew he had cried during the escape, after the escape, and he wanted to cry now. He had just lost his eye. He had been tricked and sentenced to death. He had just caused the beginning of the destruction of the City and maybe even the world. He wrapped up her wrists and she placed a hand on top of his. He made to pull away and then didn’t.

“It’s fine Garrett.” He hadn’t realized that his face was set in a grimace. “You don’t have to help me.”

“How did you get those?”

“I was actually really mad that you wouldn’t let me help you. So I left just like I said. I just accidentally ran across some Pagans who thought it would be nice to beat me and threaten my life so I couldn’t leave to tell people their plans. I was hanging for quite a while. I guess you’re lucky I was there, otherwise I wouldn’t have known what was going on.” She pulled away and took a rag to her face. She had a large purple bruise where Garrett had hit her, her nose was messed up and eyes swollen. He leaned forward to examine the cut on her head. It had scabbed over but it still wasn’t pretty.

“You should let me stitch that so the scar isn’t so huge.”

“You expect me to let the guy who just lost an eye and seems to be having trouble with his depth perception stitch my head? Sure sounds like a grand ole time comparatively.” Garrett sucked in his bottom lip slightly and stopped trying to find a retort. He stood clumsily and placed a hand across her upper back. 

“For what it’s worth I am really grateful.” He had trouble saying the words but it was true.

“It was for Artemus.” She grumbled out and Garrett saw her face screwed up like she was holding back tears. For once he had tried to be genuine and thank someone and this is what he got in return. He turned and laid out on his bed.

“I guess you’ll be fine. Your head won’t look as bad as the scar I’ll have from this stupid thing.” He was talking to himself. She had gone. He rolled and tried to get comfortable. Coping with the loss of his eye was going to be tough, and maybe it was better she left. He hated being vulnerable, but unfortunately he was human. He just needed to focus on a plan to protect the other “manfools”.


	17. Strange Bedfellows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrett figures out how to stop the Trickster, and with a little help from some friends he remembers why he avoids ever making them.

"The stone cannot know why the chisel cleaves it; the iron cannot know why the fire scorches it. When thy life is cleft and scorched, when death and despair leap at thee, beat not thy breast and curse thy evil fate, but thank the Builder for the trials that shape thee."

\-- The Hammer Book of Tenets  
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This was NOT the way things were supposed to go. Constantine has the Eye...AND my eye...and I doubt he has anything wholesome planned for it. The Trickster is real after all. I don't think anyone but those crazy Hammers really believed in the old gods.

Those crazy Hammers. You know, it wouldn't hurt to have a few dozen heavily-armed fanatics on MY side just about now. If I drop by their temple and explain things, maybe they'll be so distracted by the Trickster's return that they'll forget to hold a grudge. And even if they don't...I know how to get out of Cragscleft prison already....  
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She had left in a rush. Garrett needed his rest and she needed to go back into hiding. She didn’t know what they were going to do about the Trickster, but right now that wasn’t her problem. She ducked into her sewer and collapsed on her bed. She was terribly tired but her head was rushing. She tried to duck under the covers and stop her fast beating heart. If they didn’t do something, everyone was going to die.

The small touch on her back had frightened her. She knew he was probably in a torrent of emotion due to the suffering he had just experienced and after all, the Trickster was real and now he had to figure out how to save the world. She kept away from most people. She had never gone this far for another human besides Artemus.

She remembered the look on his face when she said she had wanted to be an Enforcer. It was not fear, but concern. She found the job glamorous in a way. They were powerful, mysterious, and everyone who did wrong by the Keepers feared them. Artemus had insisted she train under an elder before fully signing herself over to the life. She already knew all the weapons and ways of the Keepers, but now they had to teach her glyph magic.   
She still knew all the ones she had been taught but never used them. She felt like they made her more visible and more Keeper. She secretly wished she would have used the one for healing on Garrett when they were escaping. She usually got it to work on very small things when she was learning. 

“You will no longer be able to visit, or speak. I hope you understand this. You will never be able to make choices of your own and you will no longer have a name.” Artemus had furrowed his brow as she spoke. She didn’t understand why he was so against Enforcers. She left before the signing after the murder of the child. She never wanted to be that person. She flicked her fingers and practiced some on the signs for just a moment. Maybe she would heal Garrett. Just once so he could save the world.  
“Stupid Keepers and their prophecies.” She knew it wasn’t their fault but she wanted someone to blame. She felt like out of nowhere her and Garrett had become too close. When you’re job isn’t legal, having friends can be a huge downfall. They could be used as collateral. To keep herself strong she preferred to keep away. Something in the sneak thief’s aura told her that he was the same way. Saving someone’s life just makes things messy apparently.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garrett stood warily. He was a little dizzy and off balance but he felt ok comparatively. He needed to get some help to fight the Trickster. He would not be able to do it alone. He pulled on his outfit and left. He stumbled down a few stairs but was quickly adapting to one-eyed life. As he made for the Hammer Temple he saw a few corpses. Dead, unmoving, covered in flies corpses.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Something terrible had happened. He could feel it in his gut. The temple entrance was broken open, red brick spilled onto the bridge and gate torn from the opening.

“What happened here? And where are all the Hammerites?” He carefully stepped in to the sound of bugbeasts. 

“Damn looks like Constantine got here before me.” He shook his head angrily. There must have been somewhere they would have gone, if any where still alive. The High Priest usually stayed in a chapel on the lower level. He darted down and found that the altar had been opened to reveal a passageway. He was so tired of caves, but he needed their help. Soon enough he came to a small window with a few Hammerites, but no High Priest. The beasts had taken the priest and the Builder’s Chisel and they told Garrett it was his job to get them back for, “We lack thy skills of stealth and treachery.”

Was Garrett angry? Yes. He wanted the help though so of course he had to do what they asked, after all this was his fault. He hated thinking about it. He might have doomed the entire world and for what? The promise of handfuls of gold. Retirement. Apparently he wouldn’t be retiring for a while, or never if they couldn’t stop the Trickster. Both of the things were easy to find. The chisel was surrounded by spiders and the priest by monkey beast things. They swayed like they were not used to walking on two legs. He deposited the Priest to the Hammers. Time to stop the Trickster.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"The weights in each pan of the balance had increased greatly. As he approached his triumph, our foe had made himself vulnerable. We were unable to directly influence, and could only watch and wait to see whether his pridefully chosen pawn would prove his undoing."

\-- Keeper Annals  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well...this is it. The Hammers say they've received word that Constantine's descended into his realm, to perform a ritual with the Eye. The Hammers have built me a booby-trapped, counterfeit Eye...if I can swap it for the real thing, it should cause him some trouble...IF he doesn't notice me....

I've never robbed a god before. It'll be a challenge....  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garrett took the booby-trapped eye and darted from the temple. The portal that the Trickster had opened could stay open, forever letting beasts into their world unless he managed to crash the ritual. He got the world into this mess and now he was going to make it better. He hated having to do the work without the reward but he guessed living would be a reward. As he dashed to where he needed to go he was half ambushed.

“He’s gone into the Maw of Chaos. You’ll have to go in after to stop him.” Keeper Artemus was right next to him as Garrett stopped his mad dash.

“What do you expect of me? I’m going to try but I can’t make any promises.”

“I think you’ll do just fine.” Like that, Artemus was gone. Garrett sighed as he made way to the manor. He had a slight idea of what to do. The Hammers had given him a note along with the fake eye.

\--Garrett:  
All we can offer you in aid are these crystals and this passage from one of our oldest books:   
"The Trickster's works, such as they are, are made of the unformed stuff of the world, not the proper materials the Builder hath taught. Fire and water, earth and air -- these are for the Trickster as brick and beam are to us. But, like their master, they are flawed. His Maw is anchored by raw elements, and therein lies its weakness. Destroy each of its anchors with its opposite, and the Maw must then follow in their wake."--

He had the different crystals to knock out the Maw’s anchors so hopefully that would work. His heart beat furiously as he made his way to the tunnel to the Maw. The thing was large and angrily red. A whole manner of beasts roamed as Garret dove from shadow to shadow, finally going through the red tunnel spewing smoke.

He needed to do this! He had caused it! His insides were twisting and turning. As he crossed though he was made to dart though a series of caves, and then over lava falls. The lava made his face tight as he looked over the edge and he twitched. He really had to get ahold of his balance here. A misstep and he would be gone for, along with the fake eye.

Right past the lava he slipped and glided down ice chutes, and got frost burn on his arm when hitting a giant crystal spike. He rubbed it furiously trying to warm it as he got up at the end of the tunnel. A giant water tube showed him the way he needed to go. The water flowed above him as he jumped to get inside it and positioned himself over the tube. He pushed though, his body resisting the change in gravity. He found himself standing at the base of a tree filled with spiders.

“Heh, now that’s biiiig.” He rested on one knee trying to figure out a way up.. He took care of most of them with his bow and climbed all the way up and though another tunnel to one that looked like the walls were veined. 

“Interesting. Let’s just disable that portal and give the Hammers a fighting chance.” He could see the portal. The swirling red surrounded by fire, water, moss, and a swirling area of air. The second he shot the fire crystal at the water ball the monsters looked over at him. As swallowed hard a hand grabbed his arm. It was Lucille, looking slightly shaken.

“I’ve come to help.”

“Why are you so insistent?” He whispered furiously.

“You can’t do this alone Garrett.” She crossed her arms and quickly uncrossed them remembering the monsters that were slowly getting closer by making a chain across to their island. He swallowed and drew his sword, ready to fight.

“You don’t have the time.” Lucille pushed him to the side held her hands up in a clawed stance. Garrett knew she was correct. There was no way he was taking care of all of these and swiping The Eye before the ritual was finished. He took her hand and placed the sword inside of it.

“Good luck.” He jumped onto a rope into the inner sanctum. He could see the Trickster. He had a goat’s lower half, with horns and carved sigils in his skin. The eye was right in the middle of a red star with pillars around it. He was over halfway done with the ritual.

“"Stone grind and quake shatter tile call and shake,

Break apile chip and flake darry soil windows break

Earthy toil wall unmake call earth call the brown

Bringsie forth world thrown down!”

Garrett looked behind him before he was too far down the rope to see how Lucille was doing. He watched as a bugbeast jumped to her and she easily carved through it with the sword and then suddenly she used a glyph that Garrett had seen used only by Enforcers. It was like the Discarta glyph but it shot curved disks that sliced through anything in their path. Garrett swallowed his fears and dropped then began his slow inch toward The Eye. His hand was nearly on it when he had to duck below the altar as the Trickster passed near him.

"Night smother light black brick lamp done with bright

Dew and damp smother tight dark and hide foolsie sight

Stay inside fear the night call the dark call the

Black bringsie forth I call it back!”

Garrett felt The Eye heavy in his hand and found himself hoping that it would not speak. The new one replaced it and he slowly backed off to wait for the ritual to end. He wouldn’t know if it worked until the end.

"Open for me open to me open my way open the path open for me open!" The Trickster yelled over the fake eye and suddenly it fought back and exploded right in his face. He shouted something about betrayal before collapsing on the ground. Garrett moved close. The Trickster was dead. He has just killed a god. He took a breath. Now to help the Hammers get rid of all the beasts. He made his way back up to where Lucille was. There were no living beasts, and no Lucille. His sword sat inside a bug beast, no signs of where she went. On top rested a coin. In a way he was upset. She had just helped him save the world! Didn’t she at least want to say goodbye? He gripped the sword and pulled it free, placing back in the scabbard. 

The beasts were gone. The Trickster was done. He sat in front of a small fire in his house, holding a note. It explained little. The snow on the ground outside made him wonder if she was warm where she was.

“I’m sorry but I cannot stay to celebrate. This is your win. Enjoy it.” 

He felt like it meant that she wouldn’t be back. He had saved her life after they played the thieving game. In turn she had saved his and the world. She had given him something that he would never had readily accepted. Friendship. He never wanted it and now he found himself longing to at least say goodbye to her. He wanted to ask how she knew Enforcer glyphs and how she became a Keeper and what her favorite food was. He wanted to help her the way she had helped him and he knew this is why he tried to not have friends. Basso is all he needed in terms of that. Garrett never had to worry about Basso going off and getting himself caught and killed for thievery. He didn’t have to worry about taffing Keeper crap with him, or if he would suddenly turn on him and take everything he had. He rubbed his hands together and exited the apartment into the snow. He needed to take a short walk to clear his head.

“Keepers.” He groaned.

“So you think you've won.” Garrett stopped walking but did not face the Keeper.

“I think I've got my eye back.” He motioned to the mechanical eye he received from the Hammerites.

“Yet...still...you are blind.”

“If you hadn't noticed, I just saved the world. Yourself included.”

“As we knew you would. As it had to be.”

“Now I remember why I left the Keepers.” Garrett started to walk again, his feet crunching on the freshly fallen snow.

“And I remember why we let you go.”

“What do you want from me? Have you come to congratulate me? Welcome me back to the fold?” He spoke sarcastically.

“Very well. I will speak my peace plainly. You have accomplished that which was written, and YES...you've done it well. But there is no place for you with us any longer. Yet you will have a great need of us, and soon.”

“I don't think so. I'm through with heroics. And with your kind as well.”

“You cannot run from life as you did from us, Garrett. Life has a way of finding you. No matter how artistic a sneak you are.” Garrett licked his chapped lips. The cold was getting to him.

“Listen...there is a book that you were not made aware of. I'm here to tell you that it would be WISE for you to read it now...if you can still read hieroglyphs.”

“I do try to forget, but you Keepers leave them everywhere for me.” He snorted.

“Yes. You have more friends than you know.”

“Tell my ‘friends’ that I don't need their secret book, or their glyph warnings, or their messengers! Tell them I'm through! Tell them it's OVER! Tell them Garrett is DONE!” He was angry. He did not want anything to do with this crap anymore. He had just wanted to be done with thieving, retire comfortably. He waved his hand and left the Keeper behind. He could hear him speaking quietly.

“I will tell them this: Nothing is changed. All is as it was written. The Trickster is dead. Beware the dawn...of the Metal Age.”


End file.
